You Instead
by TheLittle MissVixen
Summary: The hurt and betrayal made Damon close his heart, forcing him to live his life in black and white. Until Elena came out of nowhere filling his days with Technicolor, she wasn't looking for love and he didn't want to find it but a wise man once said that It's not a crime to love what you can't explain.
1. The start of everything

**Hello there!**

 **If you are reading this well thank you very much!**

 **Like I mentioned before I had a new project stuck in my head and my muse wouldn't let me in peace so I decided to give it a shot and write all down, so here it is. I will really apreaciate if you could leave me a review to know if you're actually liking this and if you will give it a chance.**

 **Huge thanks to Lorena for being my beta for this story as well**

 **Oh and yes, I stole Klaus quote for the summary but I just couldn't help myself, it was such an amazing scene!**

 **Anyway, enough of me**

 **Here we go.**

* * *

Lying there on the midnight sand  
He said he'd give her the sky if she held his hand  
She counted every star in the sky and said  
I don't want that I want you instead

You make me feel real  
You make me feel real

 _ **The Make  
**_

 _ **.**_

Elena Gilbert stared at the celling and thought about all of the things that needed to be fixed in her life right now. Her apartment was one of them, her job…there was also the money issue and the fact that she had been lying to her mom for the past year. She groaned when she imagined how that conversation was going to go down, at least she could say her love life was out of trouble, after the fiasco with that douchebag Liam Elena vowed to stay single until she could find someone with whom she could truly fall in love with. That was seven months ago but she wasn't really thinking about it, her head was full with a million other things.

The phone rang and she rolled on her side on her small bed, her apartment was the tiniest thing you could find in New York, with barely enough space for her personal belongings, but it kept her warm at nights and now she was about to lose that too. "Wallowing in self-pity?" The voice of her best friend was what she heard when she pressed the phone into her ear

"It's nice to hear from you too, Caroline" Elena mumbled as she sat and pressed her back against the headboard "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Caroline Forbes had been Elena's best friend since they were old enough to play with barbies, Caroline came from a wealthy family but never in her life had made Elena feel less than her. They moved together to New York and were roommates until Caroline moved in with her boyfriend, Tyler, who Elena hated with a passion.

"You know why I am calling my sweet, Elena," Her friend said in an overly sweet voice "It's time for you to get your head out of your ass and confirm your interview with Mr. Salvatore"

"Caroline, I don't see how that's gonna help me with my life right now" Elena said in an annoyed tone and dragged her legs until they pressed against her chest

"Really? Because all I see is a place to live, a big fat check and the fact that you won't have to go home and tell your mom that you've been surviving on soup for the last week" Caroline told her and Elena hated every single word she said, because it was pretty much the truth "The job is good Elena"

"It's good for you maybe, but I've never worked with children in my entire life" Caroline was an elementary school teacher and the most prepared woman for the job, Elena knew she would be an amazing mom someday. She had called her earlier that week telling her that she had a job for her, babysitting a single father's little girls, apparently he was a super rich Italian business man with a very hectic life and needed someone to take care of his daughters. Elena wasn't sure she was the right girl for the job but Caroline was sure she could do it.

"Elena, you took care of Jeremy and Margaret all of the time, I think that counts" Her best friend said in an annoyed tone "And I already spoke well of you…and he's desperate to find someone"

"And what about my job with Alexandra at the gallery?"

"Elena!" Caroline shrieked into the phone "What Alexandra pays you is barely enough to buy something to eat, and she keeps you working like a mad woman"

"But I have to keep that job if I want to be someone in the art world"

"No you don't Lena, look you're amazingly talented and don't need a vampire like her to be great, you honestly think you'll reach what you want being there?" Elena groaned mentally, truth was she had been in that job for the last two years and she was already stuck, Alexandra would never help her succeed.

"You're about to be kicked out of your apartment, you have no savings, you won't accept money from me. Please, just go to the interview and if you don't like it don't take the job. But just think that…this might be the job that changes your life"

Elena felt a lump growing in her throat when she imagined her future; she would probably return to Virginia to give everyone the satisfaction to see she was after all a failure. "Fine"

"What?"

"Fine, I'll go to the stupid interview. Can you text me the number again?"

"Yeah of course, I promise you Lena, you won't regret this. The money is sooo good! And I'll be more than happy to see you leaving that dump soon"

"Hey!"

"We both know your apartment is shit darling" Elena rolled her eyes and said her goodbyes at her friend who was on the way out to date night with Tyler. After hanging up she layed down on the bed once again while she waited for Caroline's text.

Maybe her friend was right and this job was a good thing, Caroline told her she would get the weekends free so she might get some time to keep working on her paintings, it wasn't ideal but it was better than the alternative. Elena couldn't stand the idea of going back home as a failure.

When Elena's mother, Isobel, was a teenager she was Mystic Fall's princess, her parents were wealthy, she was smart and beautiful and had a whole life ahead of her; that was of course until she met John Gilbert. He was always a lousy kid but Isobel fell madly in love with him and left everything behind to be with him, the town condemned that relationship since the beginning and in the end everything they talked about was right, Isobel got pregnant in her freshman year at college and had to drop out, they married and had a terrible relationship, John used to spend all of their money in gambles and alcohol, abused her and finally left her when Elena was three.

Elena grew up under the eyes of the town's people, always wondering which will be the step that would take her to be like her father. With Jeremy and Margaret it was different, their father was good man, a successful history teacher that arrived when they needed him the most and who always felt like a father to her. But with her they only saw the bad aspect, none of them praised Isobel for raising a child alone, for being the best mom she could be, for working inhumane hours to keep food on the table, to build a small business of her own and put the pieces of her life back together.

That's why she couldn't go back…she couldn't give them the satisfaction and couldn't bare the look in her mother's eyes when she realized the entire last year was a lie. That she didn't have a great job and a fancy apartment…that her life was crumbling down around her.

With shaky hands she took the phone and pressed call on the contact Caroline sent her. It was now or never, this could be the best thing that happened to her or the biggest mistake in her life.

In life there is always that one moment that changes you, defines you and transforms everything around you. Something was telling Elena this was going to be that moment.

* * *

Elena tapped her foot nervously against the marble floor and looked around, the house, no, the mansion, was beautiful. She felt like she was in some kind of castle, secluded from the outside world, the ground was so extensive that not even the sound of cars reached her ears, it was like being in some other part of the world, she didn't know that was possible in a place like New York.

She touched the crown braid she styled her hair in and made sure everything was still in place, she felt so out of her league in this place "Mr. Salvatore is ready Miss Gilbert" An elderly man with kind warm eyes, whose name was Edward appeared in front of her and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back but didn't feel reassured at all, she was so nervous that she even skipped breakfast in the morning in the fear of being sick and ruining the interview.

She walked through a huge hallway and then marched down some stairs and entered an enormous office with wooden furniture and beige walls, in front of her was a big window overlooking the enormous yard and a mahogany desk with a man sitting on it, she couldn't see his face since he was reading some papers scattered on his desk but something about his presence unnerved her, it made her even more nervous than what she already was.

"Good morning, Miss Gilbert" His voice was so thick and rich with a velvety quality in it; it went straight to her core and she felt a gasp wanting to come out of her mouth. He still wasn't looking at her but that voice had been enough to make her tingle all over. "Please sit down" He gestured towards the chair in front of his desk and finally lifted his head and looked at her.

Honestly, Elena didn't know how she found the strength to move her legs and walk towards the chair, the moment his eyes found hers the air was sucked out of her lungs and every nerve in her body came alive, there was something in his eyes, something that called to her. She had never looked at a pair of eyes like those before, they were so blue and deep that she was afraid she might lost herself in them.

"Good morning, Mr. Salvatore" Her voice came out as a whisper and she cursed herself mentally, she needed to appear confident, the life of his daughters were going to be in her hands after all, he needed to see she was capable for the job.

"Miss Forbes spoke very high of you Miss Gilbert" He looked at her with a raised eye brow and the hint of a smile

"Uhmm Caroline- I mean Miss Forbes and I have been friends since we were little. We know each other pretty well" Elena said while fidgeting with the edges of her top. She was wearing a long sleeved white top and a pair of dark jeans, matched with the pair of red Louboutin's Caroline gave her for Christmas, she always felt confident in that outfit and that was the prime reason why she decided to wear it today.

"I'm glad to hear that, Miss Forbes has been amazing with my daughter and I know she wouldn't recommend you if she thought you wouldn't be right for the job" He told her and Elena could do nothing more than nod, because she honestly wasn't that sure about herself.

"It says here that you have an art major and were working in gallery since you finished college, why the career switch Miss Gilbert?" He looked at her with true interest and she felt her mouth going dry. How was she supposed to focus on the interview when he was so damn distracting?

"Honestly?" She said "I really need the money" She had an entire speech about how she thought kids were the future of the world and wanted to help create better people and all that jazz but something in his expression told her he would appreciate her honesty more "I know that's probably not what you want to hear but I'm broke, and my old job…I wasn't really going anywhere there, and I like kids a lot, I always took care of my younger siblings so I know what it's like to take care of a child…and I just really felt like I needed a change"

"Did you know that I just interviewed a woman with a degree in infant psychology? ... and postgrad studies in education?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and Elena wanted to die right there. She had blown this whole thing, she should have gone with the whole kids are the future speech.

"I see…" She lowered her lashes and took a deep breath "But I bet she isn't as good a storyteller as me" She wanted to smack herself once the words left her mouth but when she saw the smile on his lips decided against it. That smile was the most beautiful thing in the whole world.

"I wouldn't doubt your gifts as a storyteller Miss" He said amused "You should know that there have only been three long term nannies over the last few years…but none of them truly understood what my girls really needed…and they all had studies in infant conduct and all that crap" Elena's eyebrows shot up as he placed his elbows on the desk and leaned into her "I need for you to understand Miss Gilbert how important it is for me the wellbeing of my girls, the youngest one is almost four and my eldest is seven"

"I see"

"Violet, my younger daughter has no memories of her mother, since she died when she was still a baby and Briar…let's just say they both lack motherly influence. Therefore, it is very important for me that they both have a female figure they can look up to" The seriousness in his tone was evident and it almost made Elena smile to see how interested he was in the wellbeing of his children.

"I understand, Mr. Salvatore. If you hire me I would do my best to assure that" She fidgeted with the edge of her top again, he was making her so nervous and honestly, he scared her a little. She had never met a man so imposing, with such a presence.

"I expect excellent behavior from you whenever you're around my girls and when you're not as well." Elena could do nothing more than nod under the scrutiny of his gaze "If I decide to hire you, you will make them your priority, I don't expect you to give up your social life for us… but you'll be living here fully, even though you'll have the weekends off. And on weekdays you belong to me" His eyes turned a deep shade of blue and Elena felt her body trembling at the sound of his words "When you're here, your sole purpose is to be with them, be what they need. I need you to care for them as if they were your own. Can you do that, Miss Gilbert?"

"Of course, Mr. Salvatore. If you hire me that wouldn't be an issue"

"Do you have a boyfriend, Miss Gilbert?" Damon asked casually as he leaned back on his chair and folded his arms in front of him

"Sorry?" Elena asked, feeling a bit confused

"A boyfriend? The job I'm offering you is quite demanding, we will occupy most of your time. Our last nanny abandoned us because she was getting married. Is there someone out there who might get mad because of it? Will you be able to devote yourself completely to this job? To us?" Elena knew he wasn't asking this because of personal reasons but the way he was looking at her…for a moment she thought that there was something else behind his words than the desire to take care of his daughter's care.

"No, Mr. Salvatore. I'm completely free. I will make this job my priority"

"I'm glad to hear that" He answered as he gave her a reassuring smile "You'll hear from us at the end of the day, Miss. Gilbert" He stood up and walked her towards the door, his hand was placed at her lower back and the contact was warming her body all over. "Have a good day, Miss"

"You too, Mr. Salvatore" She answered without looking back at him, the last thing she wanted was to turn into a mess right there. The man was having such a strong effect on her body and her mind as well.

She walked back the length of the hallway with a heavy heart and praying to God that Mr. Salvatore considered giving the job to her, she didn't want to accept it yesterday but it was finally downing on her that without this job she would truly have to go back home.

The elder man from earlier was taking her to the door when a little voice coming from the stairs stopped her "Are you our new nanny?" Elena turned around and saw the most beautiful little girls in the entire world, they were as pretty as her little sister had been. The girl who spoke had long wavy black hair and beautiful amber colored eyes with a golden hue that made them sparkle and was staring at her with uncertainty.

"Well I don't know yet" Elena answered and walked closer to them

"You are very pretty" The smaller one said. She had long light brown hair and the bluest eyes, almost as blue as her father's.

"Thank you" Elena smiled warmly at her "You two are very pretty as well"

"Do you like barbies?" The dark haired one asked

"I do, I love them. My best friend Caroline and I used to play with them all the time"

"My teacher's name is Caroline!" The girl with darker hair said

"I know, she is my best friend" Elena smiled at the little girl "You must be Briar then" The kid smiled while looking at Elena

"Briar Rose" The girl said with the biggest of smiles

"Like sleeping beauty?" Elena asked with fake surprise, like she used to talk to Margaret all the time.

"Yes" The girl grinned excitedly "Daddy said my name was a princess name"

"And your daddy was right, and what a pretty name it is" Elena said while leaning down and taking a wave of her hair between her fingers while smiling at her.

"I'm Violet!" The little one announced, wanting back Elena's attention. "Do you like singing songs?"

"Well I am not a very good singer but I used to sing to my little brother and sister all the time" Elena told them "And I love telling stories"

"We love stories!" Both girls yelled in unison

"Daddy always read us one at night" Violet said and Elena almost melted at the image of Mr. Salvatore reading to his little girls

"If you stay… will you braid my hair as pretty as yours?" Briar said while pointing to the bride styling Elena's hair

"Of course, I'll braid your hair everyday"

"I like you" Violet said

"I like you too" Elena winked and then out of the corner of her eye she saw Edward and remembered she was supposed to be on the way out "Well it's time for me to go girls" Violet pouted and Elena couldn't help but smile again "I hope to see you soon" She waved to them goodbye and then followed Edward out of the door.

The minute the door closed the figure that had been lurking in the shadow of the hallway stepped forward "So, what do you think?" Damon asked the little girls sitting on the stairs

"Can she stay? Please daddy, can she stay? "Briar pleaded with her father and he couldn't help but smile at her

"So, do you like her?" Damon asked them

"YES!" Violet yelled in excitement "She's very pretty, and she likes to tell stories, daddy!"

"So I've heard" He said with a half-smile playing on his lips, remembering the young woman's words in his office earlier.

"Please let her stay!" Violet ran down the stairs and threw herself into her father's waiting arms

"If that's what you want?" He looked between his two daughters who nodded enthusiastically "Then I guess Ms. Gilbert will be living here from now on"

He kissed the top of his youngest daughter's hair and wondered if it was indeed a good idea to have such a beautiful young woman living with them, there was something in her, a fire that called to him and he worried what might happen if he let himself be dragged into it.

* * *

 **So? What do you think?**


	2. New beginnings

**Hellooo!**

 **Oh guys thank you so much for the reviews and all the alerts and favorites, I'm so glad that you're interested in this story, I really hope you keep lliking it as we move forward. I also want to thank Lorena for being my beta and doing a great job at it.**

 **I really hope you enjoy the new chapter and please let me know what you think.**

* * *

"We grow up with such an idealistic view on how our life should be; love, friendships, a career or even the place we will live, only to age and realize none of it is what you expected & reality is a little disheartening, when you've reached that realization; you have learnt the gift of all, any new beginning can start now and if you want anything bad enough you'll find the courage to pursue it with all you have. The past doesn't have to be the future, stop making it so."

 **-Nikki Rowe-**

 **.**

Elena placed the last of her items in the cardboard box and closed it with a sigh; she knew that it was necessary, that things changed and that was just the way life was but the truth was that she never really liked change. Caroline had been saying for months that the apartment was a hell hole but it was the first place that made her feel independent and as she looked around the tiny place she couldn't help but feel sad at leaving all of this behind, it felt like she was leaving a part of her behind.

"Enough with the gloomy face" Caroline exclaimed while exiting the bathroom and heading to the small kitchen "This is good for you, Lena. Even though if you technically don't work on the weekends why are you moving on a Saturday?" The blonde asked

"I think that I'm technically working this weekend, you know to get a hold of things and stuff like that" Elena answered while plopping down onto the brown couch that had seen better days.

"That makes sense" Her friend's voice said from the kitchen "I'm sorry Tyler couldn't come to help, he got stuck at work" The blonde said while exiting the kitchen with two champagne glasses. She had appeared early that morning with the glasses and bottle because apparently they had to celebrate that she was finally leaving her stinky apartment.

"Oh that's not a problem, honey, don't worry" Elena answered while taking the glass her friend was offering

"Ugh I hate that you guys can't get along" Caroline said while plopping down onto the couch next to her and taking a sip of her drink

"We get along" Elena lied before drinking from her glass as well, the cold bubbly liquid going smoothly down her throat, if there was one thing you could always be sure around Caroline was that she would give you expensive alcohol.

"Oh please, I know that you guys hate each other. I just wish you guys could make a bigger effort" The blonde said with a sad face and Elena couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She knew how much Caroline loved Tyler, her love blinded her so much that no matter how hard she and Matt tried to make her see she was in a very abusive relationship she just couldn't let him go.

"Some people aren't just meant to be BFF's, Care, but that doesn't mean that we hate each other" Elena answered

"It's just, you, him and Matt are the most important people in my life. I want all of you to love each other like I love you guys"

Elena looked at her with sympathy "Okay, I promise that I'll try harder to be friends with him or at least be civil with him" She told her dear friend while leaning closer to her and placing her head onto the blonde's shoulder. She knew those words would take the sad expression from her friend even though she didn't actually mean it, there was no way she and Tyler could get along after seeing the way he treated her friend.

"Thank you" The blonde said in a small voice while she leaned down her head to rest on top of Elena's "Oh I forgot to tell you! Briar was super excited yesterday, she said she can't wait for you to go live with them" Caroline said in a more animated voice, changing the subject entirely.

"Really? She's such a sweet kid, both are actually and they're both so adorable" Elena answered before taking another sip of her drink

"Yeah of course they are, have you seen their dad?" Caroline joked and Elena couldn't help the blush that crept onto her face at remembering Mr. Salvatore.

"Oh yes I have" The brunette said before sitting herself straightly and downing her entire drink

"I bet you already had naughty dreams about him"

"What? Of course not, he's my boss" Elena answered indignantly

"So? He's super-hot and you were practically drooling when you told me about your interview. Trust me, I've been your best friend your entire life and I've never seen you react that way to a man" Caroline said while giving her a knowing look "Plus he's like super rich"

"That is completely irrelevant…but yeah he is super rich" Elena stated while remembering his home "I mean the place is practically a mansion, a mansion in New York imagine that and honestly, if he can pay the fees of the school you work in he's gotta be super rich" She said and Caroline slapped her leg playfully at the comment.

"He owns a luxury chain of hotels all over the world that goes four generations back, it's very old money, my guess is he could go without working and he would still live well for the rest of his life" Caroline said and Elena looked at her with eyes wide open, she imagined he had money but never that much "In fact, they say that her wife trapped him by getting herself pregnant so he could save her father's company or something like that"

"Caroline! Do not bad mouth dead people" Elena chastised her friend

"Hey, I'm just saying what I've read, I honestly don't know. Never met the woman"

"Where do you learn these things?"

"I read gossip sites" Caroline answered and Elena rolled her eyes. Yes, because gossip sites were so trustful. "Anyway, Matt's birthday party is in two weeks so let your boss know that you'll arrive home late, or not arrive at all" She said while giving her an insinuating look. Elena could only guess her friend was trying to set her up with one of her friends again and Matt's party was perfect for it, Caroline would never understand that she had zero skills as a matchmaker.

"Don't worry, I'll let him know" Elena answered while laughing and shaking her head slowly.

A knock on the door startled both of the girls and they looked at each other frowning "Oh damn, that must be Edward" Elena said when she remembered the man was supposed to be picking her up

"Edward?" Caroline asked with a raised brow while Elena stood up

"He works for Mr. Salvatore" Elena explained "He's here to pick me up"

"Uuuh fancy" Caroline answered while following her friend to the front door.

Elena opened it and greeted the older man with a smile and proceeded to introduce him to Caroline who helped them load Elena's things into the car. Edward offered to drop Caroline off at her house and the blonde couldn't look happier "Told you this job would be good for you" She whispered into her friend's ear before entering the car. Elena stood outside and watched the building for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and entering the car as well.

Her life was finally changing. She just hoped it would be for the best.

* * *

Elena arrived at the Salvatore house while still trying to process that she would be living in this place from now on. And silently praying that she didn't screw it up because if they fired her she would truly have nowhere to go.

As she made an attempt to unload the contents on the car truck Edward ushered her away and told her that someone was going to take everything to her room but that he wanted her to meet some of the people working in the house first. As they entered the house a dark-skinned woman with warm eyes and beautiful dark short hair was walking out but stopped to introduce herself to Elena.

"Hi, I'm Bonnie, I'm Damon's personal assistant" She said with a kind smile and extended her hand so Elena could shake hers. It was the first time she heard someone saying Mr. Salvatore's name out loud and truth be told, it sounded pretty damn good

"Hi, I'm Elena" She answered back

"I know, you're the new nanny. You're very pretty" She said and Elena couldn't help but smile at her since her words actually sounded sincere "She's very pretty, right Edward?" She gave Edward a knowing smile and the elder man laughed softly while Elena stared at both of them without really understanding what was happening

"Anyway, I have to run" She said just before her phone started ringing "Work never stops" She gave both of them a smile and practically ran out of the door while she answered her phone

"That was weird" Elena muttered to herself so low that Edward couldn't hear her.

He introduced her to Alicia and Miranda who were two middle age women who were in charge of the cleaning in the house. Elena though briefly that two women were not enough to clean this castle of a house. Then she met Gerard, an elder man who was in charge of the gardens and was super sweet and by last he took her to the kitchen so she could meet Alessandra Flowers or as she liked to be called, Allie.

She was an elder woman with a warm smile and sparkling eyes who chatted too much and who Elena instantly liked. She couldn't help but think that the whole staff in the house was a bit cliché but what the hell, they all seemed nice enough.

After their little trip to the kitchen where Allie insisted on giving her a biscotti Edward finally took her to see her room. The moment the door opened Elena was left speechless because the freaking room was bigger than her damn apartment. It had cream colored walls and white blinds that were currently blowing in the wind, a flat screen, a dresser, a small ottoman and a divan next to a beautiful lamp which she guessed was for reading. The bed was huge and looked so comfy that Elena wanted to immediately dive in it, but the best thing about the place were the white French doors leading into a small balcony where Elena knew she would spend a lot of her free time painting.

And she had her own bathroom, which looked like it came out of one of those interior design shows she and Caroline watched in home and health, and it had a bath tub! The place was truly a fairytale.

After she finished gaping and exploring her room she returned to Edward who was standing in the entrance with a big smile on his face "Sorry, I kind of lost myself there" Elena said wincing

"Don't worry, Miss Gilbert"

"Oh please, just call me Elena" Elena said with a smile "Oh and is there any chance I can speak with Mr. Salvatore? I still don't know what I am supposed to do today or any other day for that matter"

"Mr. Salvatore is in a conference call right now, but he'll come find you once he's done" He gestured towards the hallway and she followed him "The girls room is this one" He said, pointing to the door in front of them "They're both in there right now but you don't have to be with them, for the moment you're free to do as you please, Elena" He said with a smile and Elena smiled back at him, there was something about the elder man that made him so easy to like.

"Thank you, Edward" He nodded and excused himself. Elena debated over what to do and decided to go to the girls' room, it was better if she got to know them soon and it would help them getting more comfortable around her.

She knocked softly on the door and heard the quiet footsteps approaching before the door opened and revealed the elder Salvatore child "You came back!" The little girl shrieked and threw herself around Elena's middle, hugging her tightly. It touched something deep inside her to see how excited the girl was to see her, she never thought much about having kids, she loved her siblings and always enjoyed taking care of them but it wasn't something she saw in her near future; however, there was something about these girls that made her maternal instincts come out. Maybe it was because she saw in their eyes something she often saw in hers when she was little and wondered why her father wasn't next to her.

"Of course I came back, and I'll be taking care of you two from now on" She answered as she stroked the girl's hair.

"Elenaaaaa!" She heard the shriek of Violet who was coming from the bathroom "You're finally here" She threw herself at Elena and she caught her immediately, twirling her around the room while the little girl laughed out loud.

"Yes I am"

"That is so cool!" The little one said and Elena laughed quietly at hearing her words

"What are you two doing?" Elena asked while looking around the room with Violet still in her arms, the room was a soft pink color that made the place look very sweet and it was decorated like something out of a fairytale. Caroline would love this room Elena thought to herself.

"I'm doing Math" Briar said with an annoyed tone and moved to the small wooden desk placed against the wall

"I'm playing with my Barbie's, do you want to see them?" Violet asked Elena and she nodded with a bright smile on her face so she placed the girl down and let her go find her dolls.

"What's bothering you?" Elena leaned down towards Briar and stroked her hair softly.

"I don't like numbers, I suck at numbers. It's too hard" She turned her amber colored eyes to Elena and they were full of concern

"Don't worry, it's not as hard as it looks" Elena kneeled next to the girl and asked her to give her the notepad "I was very good at math when I was at school, numbers are my thing" Elena told her as she sat cross legged on the floor and motioned for Briar to sit next to her.

"Elenaaa come please, my Barbie's are here" Violet called for her from across the room and Elena couldn't help the soft laugh that left her lips

"Let me help Briar for a little while and then I'll go with you. Kay?" Elena told the little girl who nodded at her.

After a good half an hour of going through the math problems Briar could finally understand what she was doing and thanked Elea whole heartedly, Elena ruffled her hair a bit and stood up to go to the other side of the room where Violet had her whole Barbie's collection for her to see.

She didn't realize how much time had passed until Mr. Salvatore walked into the room and she looked to the clock to see that it was already seven o'clock. The girls immediately ran towards him and he wrapped both of them into an embrace, Elena's heart melted at the sight of the three of them and a small blush crept onto her face when he noticed her staring and smirked.

"May I speak with you for a moment, Miss Gilbert?" He asked in that velvety voice that she remembered.

"Nope" Violet said and ran towards Elena, sitting on her lap "She's with us and I don't want to share her daddy" The little girl said in a playful manner

"Oh really?" Damon teased with a grin "Why not Violet?"

"Because she's so much fun" The girl explained with a matching grin that made her look so much like her father

"But can I have her just for a moment? I promise I won't keep her long"

"You promise to be good to her?"

"Yes of course, I'll be on my best behavior" Damon answered with a crooked grin and Elena was sure that her entire face was red by now.

Violet's grin widened and looked at Elena before giving a brief kiss onto her cheek "Okay, you can have her daddy, I'll share her with you but only with you" Elena's heart warmed at the girl's actions and felt her throat clogging with emotion, little kids had so much magic in them.

Elena saw a dumbstruck expression on Damon's face but he composed himself quickly, she placed Violet on the floor and followed him out of the room.

When the door closed he turned around to stare at her and Elena swore his eyes looked even more blue than the first time she met him "First of all, Miss Gilbert, I know that technically today was a free day but I-"

"No, don't worry about it, it's no problem" She shook her head and smiled at him "I enjoyed being with them" He leaned against the door of her room and stared at her with something resembling amazement in his gaze

"I see, they seem very fond of you, Miss Gilbert, that's a first" He told her sincerely while crossing his arms across his chest

"Well I'm glad"

He nodded and then stayed in silence for a while. He stared at her in a deeply way that made Elena squirm, there was something in that gaze, something she had never seen in anyone before, and it scared her and excited her in ways she couldn't explain.

He shook his head as if to get out of the spell that was casted around them and cleared his throat. "I'll leave Edward with a schedule of the girl's activities on the weekdays so it can help you out, Briar goes to school all morning so it will only be you and Violet" He told her

"Violet doesn't go to kindergarten?"

"No, she has a tutor that spends around four hours with her everyday" He explained "I have the belief that she's still very young… call me overprotective but I want to keep her at home a little more" He said with an almost timid expression.

"I understand" She answered and looked down, there was something about him that made her feel uncomfortable but not in a bad way, just…in a way that scared her.

"And I'll also leave you a credit card for your personal use" Elena's eyes widened at this and he seemed to notice the surprised expression on her face "Don't make a big deal out of this, Miss Gilbert, I like to keep my staff happy and you are such an important part of this house now…you're taking care of my daughters and as long as you're good with them you can have anything you like"

 _Anything you like?_ Yeap, she wasn't sure she could get everything she liked because that would involve the two of them together doing a lot of things that weren't PG rated.

Elena was sure Caroline would freak out when she told her this but she didn't like it, it made her feel uncomfortable "I don't think that's a good idea, Mr. Salvatore, I mean you're already paying me enough. I really don't need anything else"

"Please, Miss Gilbert, I insist, you can use it whenever you go out with the girls, movie tickets, treats, whatever you like. It will be completely yours" His penetrating gaze rooted her to the spot as if daring her to disagree with him on the matter.

"I don't- I mean I-" He interrupted her by raising his hand in the air and an arched eye brow "I mean thank you" She told him, not wanting to stir a discussion between them outside the girl's room

"Well then…I guess that's all. I will dine with the girls and put them to bed so you're free to do as you please" He told her with a warm smile, she nodded and thought that a bath sounded really good now.

"Thank you, Mr. Salvatore" She said and watched as the recognition that he was standing in her doorway appeared on his face, she thought she saw him blush but that was probably just her imagination.

"I guess I'll see you around" He moved to let her pass, she opened the door and she thought she heard his voice as she closed the door "Good night, Miss Gilbert"

* * *

Elena woke up early the next morning, it didn't really matter if it was the weekend, she could never manage to sleep in late unless she had been out late the night before, so after lying in bed with her thoughts for a while she decided to leave them to rest and stood up. She took a shower and dressed into a cute green summer dress and let her wet hair hang from her back. She exited her room and marveled at how quiet the house seemed, since it was early she guessed everyone was still sleeping. As she headed down the stairs to go to the kitchen she stumbled across a blonde girl coming from the hallway, opposite the one where her room was.

"Hi" The girl said sounding a bit embarrassed "I'm Kennedy"

"Hi, I'm Elena" She answered while looking at her with a confused expression on her face "The nanny" She added

"Right" The girl answered and they stared at each other in an awkward silence for a few seconds "Well I should get going" The girl said and Elena motioned for her to go first down the stairs. She stayed at the top a little longer while staring at the hallway the girl just came out of.

Well that was a nice way of killing her silly crush on Mr. Salvatore she thought as she lowered down the stairs.

Elena went to the kitchen where she found Allie, apparently every Sunday Mr. Salvatore had breakfast with the girls in Manhattan so they should be leaving in a few hours, but he instructed that they should have breakfast ready for Elena when she woke up so even though she protested and told her it wasn't necessary Allie was making her French toast and eggs for breakfast.

"So…" Elena let the words linger in the air as she watched Allie move around the kitchen "…the blonde girl"

"Oh you saw that" The elder woman had her back towards her but Elena could hear the mirth and a hint of disappointment in her voice "Sometimes it's a blonde, other times it's a brunette, and if we're lucky, it's a red head"

"So, that happens a lot?" Yeap, that ship was sinking quickly.

"Not that much but probably more than it should" Allie made a disapproving noise and turned around to face Elena "He's not a bad man, my boy Damon. He's just very scared"

"Scared?" Elena asked with a raised eye brow.

"His wife… she wasn't… let's just say she left a big hole in his chest" Allie gave her a warm look and turned again to keep cooking "He has a big heart, and yes, he makes a few mistakes once in a while but that's not all he is"

Elena nodded even though Allie couldn't see her and both women stayed in silence after that. Elena stared at the garden as the smell of eggs started to fill her nose.

What could a man like him be scared of? She shook her head lightly while she contemplated the big enigma that Damon Salvatore appeared to be.


	3. It all starts here

**I really hope you enjoy the new chapter :)**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

"It hurts to let go, to say goodbye for the final time and remain distant in your closure, it may even tear your heart out to the point of insanity; but somehow in it all you find the pieces of your worth and you start creating yourself again, and in that journey of transformation you find the essence of what truly matters, inner happiness. It's life, we all fall at some stage but it's up to you, to decide how long you want to stay there."

.

On Monday, her first official day of work, Elena woke up early and went out jogging in the gardens, marveling at how spacious the grounds of the house were, she always enjoyed having a little time for herself in the early mornings. After that she went to her bedroom and took a quick shower and dressed herself with a pair of fitted jeans and a pale pink long sleeved top, she styled her hair in a high pony tail and went to the girl's bedroom to wake Briar and get her ready for school.

They went down the stairs together while a sleeping Violet was still in her bed, Elena took Briar to the kitchen so that Allie could give her the lunch she made for her and then took her with David, the driver, so he could take her to school. Before climbing into the car Briar turned around and hugged Elena tightly around the waist.

"Thank you" The little girl whispered and Elena felt a strange emotion pressing on her chest.

"You're welcome, darling" She answered and moved the girl's head so she could stare into her face, traces of sleep still visible there.

"You'll be here when I return right?" She asked

"Of course" Elena answered while helping her get into the car. "Good luck in school today, Briar Rose" She told her with a smile before closing the car door.

She watched as the car drove away and sighed loudly, there was something about these girls, this family that made her want things, things she never wanted before, it was such a strange feeling, she had been here for only two days and they were already carving a space inside of her heart. Not wanting to dwell more into things she turned around and headed to the house to go and retrieve the schedule of the girls Mr. Salvatore left with Edward and then wake Violet, her tutor would arrive in a couple of hours and she needed to dress her and make sure she ate her breakfast.

Once Violet was already with her tutor Elena looked around the house and realized that she had absolutely nothing to do, she was so used to being busy all the time, running around frenetically with all the demands Alexandra placed on her that she found herself feeling a little guilty. Here she was, earning more than she did in the last two years, living in a big fancy house and with a credit card at her expenses and yet her job wasn't that demanding, in fact she was a little bit bored right now. Elena wasn't used to being still, she needed to be doing things to feel right.

And besides, if she wasn't busy she started thinking about her very hot boss and how much it bothered her to watch that woman coming out of his bedroom the day before, she couldn't continue harboring those kind of feelings towards her employer, the last thing she wanted was to lose her job because she couldn't maintain things professional.

With a sigh she walked to the kitchen to chat with Allie and to see if she wanted any help from her but the elder woman declined, telling her they all had their jobs there and that hers solely consisted in taking care of the girls

"But Briar is at school and Violet will be with her tutor for the next couple of hours, what I am supposed to do until then?" Elena answered while she chewed on a chocolate chip cookie Allie gave her.

"You can do anything you want darling, why don't you use the pool and go swimming or watch a movie" The elder woman offered while moving around the kitchen.

"Yeah that doesn't feel right, I'm supposed to be working"

"And you are working, you just happen to have a little break right now"

Elena huffed and dropped her head onto the counter "I just wish there was something else I could do" She said with her mouth half full of the cookie.

"I think this is the first time I hear someone ask for more work" Allie said and the glee was evident in her voice.

"It's just I'm used to being busy" She said "And I would like to feel like I'm earning my paycheck"

"You are darling" Allie walked closer and sat on the stool next to her "I heard you girls upstairs yesterday, your laughs could be heard all over the house" She shook her head with a smile on her lips "It's been a while since the girls were this happy, you should have seen the look on Mr. Damon's face" Elena's heart fluttered at the words the elder woman said "So trust me he will continue paying you if you can keep the girls laughing like that"

Elena smiled widely at Allie before the woman stood up and went back to her tasks. Maybe she was being a little bit ungrateful Elena thought to herself, who was she to look a gifted horse in the mouth. Maybe today when she took Briar to ballet lessons she could sneak into a store and buy some paint supplies, that would definitely make her feel better and help her get her head out of things.

"But if you still feel like you need more work you can help me out with dessert" Allie's voice brought Elena out of her thoughts and she lifted her head to see the older woman looking at her.

"Of course, I would love too" She smiled brightly and stood up from the stool "What are we making?"

"Apple pie, is there any chance you know how to make it?" Allie asked while placing on the counter everything Elena was going to need

"Of course!" She almost shouted with excitement, besides painting, baking was her favorite thing in the world "My mom owns a little café so she taught me to make all kind of desserts and pastries" Elena told her with a proud smile

"Well aren't you a gem young lady" Allie told her lovingly while patting her hand. "Hiring you was the best thing Mr. Damon could do"

Elena smiled at her and just like that her day started to get brighter.

* * *

His elbows were resting on the mahogany desk as his friend extended the constructions plans and pointed to various spots on the sheet. His assistant was in the couch placed in the back of the office, her computer in her lap while typing furiously.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" His best friend and main engineer told him

"Yes"

"Well okay, look here"

Her laugh was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. When he went to bed last night he couldn't help but repeat that sound in his head over and over again, and the girls were laughing too, she made them laugh. And those eyes, those gorgeous doe eyes that enchanted him, even though she kept them hidden from him most times, almost never meeting his stare. He made her nervous, he knew that, he could see the way her body changed when he was around. But didn't she know she made him nervous too? He felt out of control when she was in the same room as he was, and all of that happened in less than a week.

After the interview he was unable to stop thinking about her, that's why he went out with Stefan and Enzo, that's why he brought Kennedy home and not even with her was he able to forget about the brunette goddess living under his roof.

He was absolutely going crazy, the last thing he needed was to develop a crush on the girls' nanny.

"Okay, so look at the plans, right here, you see?" The man pointed to a section connected to what was supposed to be the east wing. "This is where the contractor will start but we need to be sure of how large the expansion will be, you've been too inconsistent about it"

"And he's not hearing a single word you're saying" The girl said from the black leather couch placed against the wall.

"Hey, earth to Damon" The man waved his hand in front of his face to get his friend out of his fantasy

"I'm sorry what happened? I just got sidetracked" Damon answered while he leaned back on his chair and forced himself to remain looking at this friend and avoiding his wandering thoughts to the brunette girl taking care of his girls.

"Unbelievable" Enzo muttered and then chuckled "Who's the girl?"

"What?"

"The girl that has you like this, I haven't seen you so distracted since college" Enzo leaned back on his chair and looked at Damon with interest all over his face "It must be because of a girl"

"It's the nanny" Bonnie answered with a hint of mirth in her voice.

"What?" Damon's eyes immediately found the one of his assistant and the girl only shrugged unapologetically.

"You haven't been able to shut up about her since the day you interviewed her, so, I pulled out my own conclusions" The girl explained

"Well your conclusions are wrong, she's the nanny and that's all" Damon said in a clipped tone while adjusting his tie, a thing he tended to do when he was nervous.

"Umm interesting" Enzo said to himself

"Don't start, Enzo" Damon warned

"I'm sorry, it's just it's been so long since you've been interested in a woman, I mean you have the occasional hookup but nothing beyond that" The British man explained "It gets me curious"

The occasional hookup, just the phrase made Damon cringe. Kennedy called him this morning asking to meet again, he met her a year ago in a convention and had slept with her a couple of times since then but he made it very clear that sex was the only thing she would get from him and now she was asking for more, things didn't work out that way for him. He had closed that chapter in his life three years ago and he didn't want to open it again. And thinking about Kennedy only made him think about Elena too, the blonde girl had told her she met the nanny when she was on her way out and Damon wanted to die right there. The last thing he wanted was to give the impression to Elena that he was the kind of man…well he kind of was that man but the fact that she knew about this 'hookups' made him feel completely ashamed of himself.

"Bloody hell, you zoned out on me again" Enzo complained while Bonnie laughed from the back.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I asked you if she was hot?"

"No"

"She isn't?" Enzo asked with a raised eye brow "Why don't I believe you?"

"Because he's lying" Bonnie answered "She's gorgeous, I met her Saturday and she seems pretty nice too"

"Fine, she's smoking hot" Damon huffed and leaned down on the table "Can we go back to work?"

Enzo stared at him with a grin "When can I meet her?"

"Never, you can't met her ever" Damon answered without looking up, too busy faking to be studying the plans "The last thing I need is you trying to sleep with my staff"

"Uh someone's a bit touchy" Enzo chucked and twisted his neck to talk to Bonnie "What's her name?"

"Elena" Bonnie said with a smirk

"Elena? What a pretty name. It sounds so nice coming out of my mouth" Enzo said quietly and Damon grunted. Bonnie couldn't help laughing, knowing Enzo was trying to get Damon angry.

"Do not speak her name again, we are on work hours" Damon said in a growl. He loved his best friend but he was trying to get on his nerves and it was working at perfection, if he kept that up his fist was going to end up in his jaw.

"All right, all right mate. Don't get your knickers in a twist" Enzo said before winking at Bonnie and leaning down on the table once again. "Well like I was saying, you need to decide a date"

Damon did his best effort to pay attention this time because the last thing he wanted was having Enzo on his back about the Elena subject, but truth be told no matter how immerse he was in the work he couldn't help the occasional thought about those doe eyes and what they were doing to his sanity.

* * *

Elena sat back and laughed while the girls chatted animatedly on the way back home, who would have thought that it would be so fun to be around a pair of little girls, it was so much better than being bossed around by the bitchy Alessandra Delaware. Earlier in the afternoon Violet and Elena dropped Briar in her dancing lessons and then headed to an art supply store that was nearby, where Elena made use of the credit card Mr. Salvatore gave her, she was so excited to be able to work on her art again, she even promised Violet that she would paint something for her, the girl had insisted that she wanted the drawing of an unicorn.

When they arrived to the house Elena saw that Mr. Salvatore's car was already on the entrance although it was still early, there was also a strange car parked as well, she guessed he had visitors and she really hoped it wasn't the blonde girl from the other morning.

As they entered the house Elena knew that her prayers were listened because the blonde girl wasn't here, instead right there at the foyer was a really handsome man, tall, lean, light brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. The minute the girls saw him they ran towards him screaming at the top of her lungs

"Uncle Stefan!" He smiled brightly and kneeled down to hug both of them

"There you are, I've been waiting for you two" He told them and both girls beamed at him while still in his embrace

"We didn't know you were coming" Briar said

"Actually me neither but your Uncle Enzo called this morning and I just couldn't resist myself" He said as if he was doing a personal joke. "And what is this, you both look beautiful" He said while touching Briar's hair that was styled in an upside down braided bun and then Violet's in a simple French braid.

"Lena made it for us" Briar said while smiling widely and twisting her head from side to his side so Stefan could admire her hair

Stefan returned the girl's smile and his eyes lifted and met with Elena's "Hi, I don't think we've met" He told her as he slowly stood up

"This is Lena" Violet said, excited to be the one to introduce them "She's our new nanny and she tells stories, plays with Barbie's and paints" Elena looked at Violet and couldn't help but smile, how adorable it was her description of her.

"And she's also very pretty!" Briar said

"Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert" She extended her hand towards Stefan "And yes I pretty much do everything Violet just said"

"Good to know, I wouldn't trust you with the wellbeing of my nieces if you didn't like to play with Barbie's" He took her hand between his "I'm Stefan Salvatore but you can just call me Stefan" Then he took her hand and placed a soft kiss on it.

"I didn't know you were here brother" Damon's strong voice came out from behind her and Elena stiffened, her hand still in Stefan's. She hadn't seen Mr. Salvatore since Saturday night and she was a little nervous to be in his presence again.

"I told Edward not to tell you, I wanted to give you a surprise" He told his brother and his eyes shinned with mischief.

"I think you can let go of her hand now" Damon said in a clipped tone as he moved closer to them and eyed their joined hands, Elena could feel the heat of his body next to her and smell the musky scent of his cologne.

"Oh sorry" He told her while winking and releasing her hand. Elena looked down embarrassed.

"Daddy, Lena said she would paint me a unicorn!" Violet said, breaking the tension in the air. Damon eyes went to his daughter and his expression instantly softened.

"She did?" He said while kneeling in front of his daughters

"And look what she did with my hair" Briar said excitedly and twirled around so her father could appreciate the work.

Damon stroked her hair softly "You look absolutely beautiful, both of you" He said while looking at both girls before turning around and addressing Elena "Well Miss Gilbert I believe you are a woman of many talents" He told her while eyeing the bag with the art supplies she was holding "Allie told me you made that delicious apple pie in the kitchen" Elena blushed and could do nothing else but shrug.

"Wait, you bake?" Stefan told her

"There's apple pie?!" Violet and Briar both squealed

"Oh you might be the woman of my dreams" Stefan said while taking a hand to his heart in an over dramatic gesture, Elena laughed and Damon clenched his jaw while looking at the exchange between them.

"Can we get apple pie?" Violet asked while turning her pleading blue eyes towards her father

"We promise to eat our whole dinner afterwards" Briar said while pouting

"Yes daddy can we get pie?" Stefan said and earned another laugh by Elena. Damon gritted his teeth and forced a smile to the girls.

"Of course you can have pie" He told the girls who squealed and hugged him immediately "Uncle Stefan is going to take you while I have some words with Miss Gilbert" He stood up

Stefan gave Damon a knowing look and turned around to address Elena "It was a pleasure to meet you Elena, I know we'll be seeing each other a lot in the future" Damon almost grunted at the sound of her given name on his lips, why the hell were they on first names basis?

"It was nice to meet you too" She told him with a smile and he winked at her before directing his attention to the girls.

"Now let's go get us some pie" He told them as they shrieked and headed towards the kitchen. Stefan patted his brother on the chest and leaned to whisper in his ear "Go get her tiger" Before laughing and heading to the kitchen with the girls.

Damon cursed mentally and then focused his attention on the woman in front of him. She was wearing a blue floral printed summer dress that showed a bit of cleavage and made her look stunning and her hair was slightly curled and falling freely around her shoulders. She was truly a vision.

"I wanted to apologize" He told her and her brows drew in confusion

"Apologize? What for?" She told him

"For Sunday morning" He told her and Elena felt her cheeks heating up immediately, this was a conversation she didn't want to have with him. "I understand that it was probably uncomfortable for you and I'm sorry that you had to-"

"No, no don't worry" She stopped him midsentence. Elena didn't know if he had this conversation with everyone in their staff at some point but it wasn't something she was looking forward to "I totally get it and it has nothing to do with my job, you owe me no explanation I mean it's your life and I really- I mean it's not my place, so what I'm trying to say it's don't worry, I- I already forgot about it and well that's it" She rambled, wanting to get over with all of this so she could sneak into her room

Damon nodded and looked at her with apologetic eyes "I know, I know but I really just want to say I'm sorry"

"It's okay really"

"And thanks a lot for what you're doing with the girls"

"I'm just doing my job" She told him

"I know but they've been so happy with you, I just wanted to thank you"

"You have nothing to thank, it's been great to be around them." She answered and they stood in silence for a moment, just looking into each other's eyes. It was such a strange feeling, she couldn't look away, those blue pools were calling her and she was drowning in them, a warm sensation spread through her body and made places she didn't even know she had tremble under the scrutiny of his gaze.

"Well I guess I'll go with the girls" He broke the contact and lowered his eyes "I'll dine with them and put them to bed so you're free"

"Thanks a lot" She said with a small smile and started heading towards the stairs

"And thanks a lot for the pie Miss Gilbert" His voice stopped her as she was at the bottom step of the stairs. How many times the word thanks left their lips in the last minutes? Elena thought to herself as a small laugh started bubbling inside her, she controlled herself and turned around and smiled brightly at him. The sight was something Damon wanted to behold forever

"It was my pleasure" She answered before going upstairs.

Damon stood at the bottom of the stairs and took a hand to his racing heart. What was this girl doing to him?

* * *

 **Review? Pretty please?**


	4. We are made of stories

_Hello there my lovelies, I'm really excited about this chapter because it ended up being my favorite so far. I want to apologize for taking so long but I think I might be suffering of a little writter's block, I really hope I can be back on track soon enough. I want to thank all of you who are reading this and taking time to leave reviews, it means so much to me. Also a huge shout-out to Lorena because honestly I couldn't be doing this without her._

 _Here we go!_

* * *

 _" **Scientists say that we are made of atoms**_ **,** **but a little bird told me that we are made of stories."**

 _ **-Eduardo Galeano-**_

 _ **.**_

Elena snapped the picture and smiled to herself while watching the image of Briar and Violet wearing cute sun glasses and big hats as they smiled widely at the camera. Then she sent it to Caroline with a quick message _'This is so much better than working for Alexandra. Thank you'_ Briar didn't have class today so they had decided to enjoy the day and were currently sitting in the back patio next to the pool while wearing floral dresses and sipping lemonade.

"Daddy loved my unicorn, Lena" Violet said while eating one of the crackers placed on a small plate in the center of the table "He said 'Is there anything she can't do'" The girl giggled and Elena felt her cheeks heating up.

"I think daddy really likes you" Briar told Elena

"Yeah? Why do you say that doll?" Elena asked casually while crossing her legs and leaning back on her chair

"Because he stares at you a lot and he told Edward the other day 'She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen'" The little girl said with a smirk that made her look so alike her father "Do you like daddy, Lena?"

"Uhmm yes, I mean I like working for him" Elena answered unsure of what other things she could possible say to the girls.

"But will you ever hold hands with him?" Briar asked and Elena gave her a quizzical look. She was about to answer when a male voice interrupted their little conversation

"Oh my God what is this?" Stefan said while taking a seat next to Elena "You guys look so adorable" He started palming his pants and pulled out his cellphone "I need to capture this moment" He gestured to the girls to strike a pose for him and started snapping his phone "your dad is going to love this" He said while the girls giggled, happy at being the center of attention. "So, what are you guys up to?" Stefan asked once he put his phone down and turned towards Elena

"We were just enjoying the sun and taking advantage that both Briar and Violet have the day off, never happens" She said while the girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Really?" Stefan looked at the girls "Then I guess we must celebrate this, how about we go to the movies?"

"Yes!" Both girls squealed

"Right now?" Elena asked him with a raised eye brow

"Yes, it'll be good to go out and have a little fun" He told her with a small smile and Elena couldn't help but return his smile. His enthusiasm was contagious.

"Okay then" Elena answered him and laughed as the girls stood up from their chairs and danced around the table. She wondered briefly if Mr. Salvatore would be upset about it but decided not to worry, they were after all going with his brother so they would be completely safe. In spite of that she texted him before leaving to let him know that they would be with Stefan all afternoon.

They had a great time in the cinema, they watched a movie about a cartoon Elena knew nothing about but that the girls loved. Then Stefan took them for lunch and then for an ice cream and to the park and Elena found herself enjoying his company. She hadn't realized it but during the week she had spent so much time around the girls that it was very relaxing to be around a grown up for a change. And Stefan was quite a fun guy, he was flirty and charming and even though he was constantly making insinuations she knew he didn't mean them. There was absolutely nothing romantic between them.

They returned to the house when the night had started to settle in, the girls were chirping excitedly about all the things they did and hugging the stuffed animals Stefan got for them. Elena watched them with a wide smile on her face while Stefan walked alongside her but when they crossed the threshold all happiness evaporated from her body.

Her boss was standing right next to the stairs and even though he smiled and listened to the words coming out of the girl's mouths she could see his clenched jaw and stiff back, and the way he closed and opened his fist at his sides made her cringe.

"How about you girls go upstairs while I talk with your uncle Stefan and Ms. Gilbert for a while" Damon said in a low tone and even though he was trying his best to hide his feelings the girls were incredibly perceptive.

Violet turned around and sent Elena a worried look "I want Lena to come with us upstairs"

"Not now, Violet, she'll be there in a few minutes" Damon said to his daughter softly

"But she will be back?" Briar asked

"Of course she will" Damon said, his tone softening when he understood that the girls had the wrong impression of the situation "Nothing bad is happening, I just need to have a word with your uncle"

"Kay" Violet said and tugged at Briar's hand. They climbed the stairs but not before looking to see Elena once more, she gave them a reassuring smile and they continued their path.

Stefan took a deep breath and smirked at his brother "You have something to say?"

Damon tightened his jaw some more and Elena wondered briefly how it was that he didn't hurt himself "I don't appreciate you coming here and taking my children for the whole day" Damon said in a dangerously calm voice

"Seriously?" Stefan half laughed and Elena could see the anger growing in the older brother "That's your excuse?"

"You didn't even let me know you were coming, I needed you today at work" Damon told his brother

"No you didn't, I had my phone on the entire time and Bonnie knew that if anything happened she could call me and besides, Elena texted you telling you where we were going" Damon bristled at the sound of her name and directed his eyes towards her. She looked scared and vulnerable and he hated himself in that moment.

"She did, but you didn't" He turned back towards his brother "And I will like to know when you're going to be visiting my daughters" Damon moved his hand through his hair leaving it all a bit disheveled.

"Are you hearing yourself? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?" Stefan scowled "I need permission to see my nieces? That's never bothered you before!"

"Well it bothers me now" Damon spat

Elena could see the anger growing in Damon and knew that if she didn't intervene it was going to end in something really ugly. Damon was over reacting and Stefan liked to taunt him so there was only one way for this to end.

"Please, Mr. Salvatore, don't be mad. We were just having a quiet morning with Briar not having school and all…and Stefan just thought-"

"Stefan?" Damon's eyes turned dark while looking at her and suddenly she felt like a child being scolded.

"I mean Mr. Stefan" Elena said while a blush crept onto her cheeks

"This is insane! She can call me Stefan, I want her to call me that"

"That's not your decision!"

"Like hell it is, you're not her owner"

"She is mine!" Damon snapped "…She works for me" He corrected himself when he realized the slip of his tongue.

"Elena, can I have a word with my brother alone please" Stefan said and Elena could do nothing but stare mutedly at both of them and nod.

The situation got way too uncomfortable in the blink of an eye and she had no intention of staying there and keep witnessing it. "I'll just go check on the girls" She told them before hurrying up the stairs as fast as she could.

* * *

Elena couldn't sleep, her mind refused to shut down and she had nothing to do but toss and turn in bed. She could hear the soft howl of the wind against the window and the moving of the trees around the house. She was still a little worried about today's earlier events, she never saw either of the Salvatore's after the discussion and wondered what had happened. Letting out a sigh she threw the covers off her body and sat down, she knew that it would be impossible to go back to sleep if she stayed there doing nothing so she decided to go to the kitchen and drink some warm milk.

She stood up and took her silk pink robe, it was Victoria's Secret and Caroline gave it to her as a gift when the both of them still lived together, the blonde had one that matched hers and she always liked to pretend they were some kind of models instead of just two ordinary girls from Virginia.

Elena went down the stairs as quietly as she could, she didn't want to disturb the other people still sleeping. As she headed towards the kitchen she couldn't help but think that the house was so imposing and a bit scary at night, she kind of expected some specter to come out of a corner and spook her.

A frown appeared on her face when she saw the soft light coming out of the kitchen, the house was so incredibly quiet that she would have never guessed that Allie was still there, the elder woman was so loud all the time that it would have been impossible for her to go unnoticed, however once she approached the kitchen Elena realized it wasn't Allie in there.

Deep blue eyes met hers when she stopped by the entrance, a lazy smile appeared on his lips and Elena felt her entire body heating up when she took a good look at him, he wasn't wearing a shirt and his naked chest was a sight worth beholding.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Salvatore, I had no idea you were here" She started to move backwards but his words stopped her.

"No, don't apologize. It's okay. You were coming for something?" He had been leaning down over the table, with a tub of ice cream in front of him and a spoon in his hand, but now he was moving backwards and resting his body against the counter behind him.

"Uhm yeah, I couldn't sleep and I just wanted some milk" She answered, sounding a bit nervous while touching the ends of her hair, a nervous tick she had had her whole life.

Damon's eyes followed the movement of her hands and for a moment he wished he could be the one touching the girl's soft hair "Don't let me interrupt" He told her and motioned towards the refrigerator "Of course if you prefer ice cream more then I'll gladly share with you" He said with a smirk while raising the tub so she could see it "It's chocolate mint chip"

Elena smiled and sighed softly before walking towards the table "I love chocolate mint chip" She said while she took a spoon out of a drawer and stood exactly in front of him, on the other side of the table. She was a bit nervous and had no idea how to act in front of him after what happened earlier. He seemed like a completely different person right now, he was relaxed and seemed almost gentle.

"Now I know I can trust you" He told her in a mocking tone while leaning down over the table again. He watched how she dug her spoon in the ice cream and took it to her mouth, her tongue peeking out to lick the spoon. Her robe was open just enough so he could see the golden skin of her cleavage. It was intoxicating, being this close to her, the smell of vanilla coming out of her skin or maybe even her hair; he wasn't sure but it filled him with a need to bury his face in her neck and never let her go.

"And why are you here at this hour, Mr. Salvatore?" Elena asked once she swallowed the spoonful, she took one of the high chairs and sat so she could be a little more comfortable. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that being like this with her boss was dangerous, not proper. But she decided to ignore it.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" He asked her

"Of course"

"Can you please stop calling me Mr. Salvatore, I want to be just Damon" He couldn't understand it, but it angered him a big deal the idea that his brother could have the freedom to speak with her on first name basis and he couldn't. He didn't want her respect only, he wanted her trust.

"But I thought that-"She started to say, remembering the little argument they had early in the night.

"I know what I said and please forgive me. I didn't have any right to speak to you like that" Damon ran his hands through his hair, his biceps flexing and Elena felt a small blush creep onto her face. "I'm so sorry if I scared you. It's just… I've been dealing with a lot lately but I want us to be comfortable around each other, I want you to trust me…I want to be able to call you by your name…"

Elena smiled and felt little butterflies fluttering in her stomach, she took more ice cream into her spoon hoping that the cold could help her ease the ache inside her. After a few seconds she nodded and bit her lip as she looked down

"So… Elena, tell me more about you. I'd like to know more about the woman spending so much time with my kids"

She laughed nervously while she twisted a strand of hair between her fingers "Let's see, there's really not much to say about me. I come from a small town in Virginia, my mom was a single mom until she married my step father, I have two half siblings, I moved here with my best friend, my dream was to be a painter and travel around the world" She smiled a bit awkwardly, not wanting to stare into his face.

"Was?" He asked with a raised eye brow while the ice cream on his spoon started to melt

"Well…things didn't exactly work out the way I wanted them to"

"And why would you have to give it up? You're still very young, Elena, and something tells me you can be very successful if you really try"

"Well…" She just shrugged and smiled weakly at him. Damon sensed it wasn't a subject she was so keen on discussing with him so he decided to switch it, the last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable and leave.

"Travel the world? That's pretty ambitious" He smirked at her while he ate the almost melted ice cream on his spoon

"Well not the whole world"

"What places do you want to visit?"

"Well, let's see…Paris, obviously" She gave him a crooked smile "I have this huge desire to visit L'opera Garnier, Point Zero and eat macaroons"

He looked at her with a raised eye brow and a smirk "I'm sure you can eat macaroons here and why L'opera Garnier?"

"It's not the same if you eat macaroons in the USA or any other part of the world for that matter, they have to be eaten in Paris for the whole experience to be genuine" She told him as if it was something everyone should know and he couldn't help but find her attitude cute "And I want to visit the Opera because the story of The Phantom of the Opera has fascinated me for as long as I can remember"

"Really?" He asked with genuine interest "Have you seen the musical here?"

She laughed softly "Actually no, I've been living in New York for two years and I've never been to watch a Broadway play" She looked into his eyes and saw a glint appear in them.

"Unbelievable, we can't allow that" He shook his head and looked down "As soon as I have some free time I'm taking you to watch The Phantom of the Opera"

"Oh no you don't have-"

He held a finger in the air "Don't argue with me, it's happening" He winked at her and took more ice cream into his spoon "What other places do you want to visit?" He asked, he didn't want her to fight him on the whole Broadway subject.

"Uhm well…" She cleared her throat, still a little astonished at what he told her "New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland…Germany and of course Italy, nothing will make me happier than to visit Italy" Her expression turned dreamlike and Damon swore he never saw anything more beautiful in his life

"Truly?" He asked "Do you know my family is Italian?

Elena remember vaguely that Caroline mentioned something about it, and his last name wasn't American so she wasn't that surprised.

"Caroline told me something about it, but I wasn't sure" She answered

He nodded and looked at her "Mom was American but dad is Italian. So Stefan and I actually spent a lot of time there when we were little"

"Really?" Elena asked enthusiastically. Her spoon was forgotten on one side as she placed her elbows onto the table and looked eagerly at him "What's it like? Do you like it there?"

Damon tried to concentrate on the questions and not on her cleavage, she was so innocent and trustful of him that he didn't realize the effect her mere closeness had on him and his body. "Yea I love it, my dad comes from Naples and he has a little vineyard in the Tuscany. But my favorite place is Siena"

"Why?"

"I don't know, the green land and the people. It was my mom's favorite place too, dad bought a little cottage there, especially for her and we used to go there every summer" His eyes turned misty and Elena felt her heart squeezing in her chest at the sight, she guessed his mom wasn't around anymore and that he had loved her dearly. "I still hope to take the girls there someday"

"I'm sure they'll love it" Elena answered with a smile.

Damon stared at her and realized he wanted to take her there too, he wanted to show her the world, to make all of her dreams come true. And then he almost punched himself when he realized what he was thinking, he wanted to take his nanny to Italy. The last time he tried to make a woman's dreams come true had ended up terribly but… he didn't feel for her the way he was feeling right now. What was this woman doing to him?

Elena watched him silently and wondered what he was thinking, his expression looked detached and she didn't like it at all. "Do you speak Italian?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You used to spend a lot of time there and I guess your father speaks it but what about you?"

"Si, Io parlo Italiano signorina" He answered and Elena laughed in pure delight. "I desideri di mio padre" And in that moment he thought briefly that he would speak Italian for the rest of his life if it made her laugh that way.

"Oh my God, that is amazing!" She told him

"Maybe I could teach you some words"

"That would be so great, I've always wanted to learn other languages, I took French in school but I wasn't that good"

"I'm planning on hiring a tutor for Briar and Violet, you could join them and you three could learn together" He told her without meeting her eyes and Elena couldn't help the strong emotion growing in her chest. She had never met a man kinder than Damon. He was good with his staff, with his girls, with his friends. But he also had a dark side, she had seen it today when he was arguing with Stefan.

"Really?"

"Of course, I'm sure they'll love it"

She smiled at him and their eyes met, she liked this, being around him like this and it was a treacherous road, she couldn't jeopardize her job. "Uhm what other words can you tell me?" She asked while looking away, his stare was too much for her to bear sometimes.

"What do you want to know?"

"How do you say dog?"

"Cane" He answered

"And moon?"

"Luna"

Elena laughed again at hearing the words coming out of his mouth, when he spoke the merest hint of accent was heard and she almost melted at the sound. "How do I say Hello, I am Elena"

"Ciao, Io sono Elena"

She laughed again and he kept answering her questions and telling her new words as the minutes trickled by. Then they talked more about her family and the girls and the things they liked to do for fun and just like that the minutes turned into hours and none of them realized how dangerous their time together was. How risky the little chats in the middle of the night were or how you became too vulnerable, the words too sincere. They didn't yet understand that tonight they had crossed the inevitable line both of them were avoiding.


	5. Help me to make up my mind

**Hey!**

 **I'm so sorry for the delay but hopefully you'll like the new chapter.**

 **Thanks a lot to all for reading and to Lorena for being my beta on this.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **SAVE YOU**

I wanna rock and roll. I wanna give my soul  
I'm wanting to believe. I'm not too old  
Don't wanna make it up. I don't wanna let you down  
I wanna fly away. But I'm stuck on the ground  
So help me decide  
Help me to make up, make up my mind  
Wouldn't that save you?

 **Matthew Perryman Jones**

 **.**

Damon watched carefully and with a smile on his lips as the girls splashed each other and tried to swim in the shallow part of the pool. It was Saturday and he could have the luxury of not doing anything but spend time with his girls. He lived for days like this, he loved his job and that was something that he couldn't deny but sometimes it took too much of his time, there was nothing in the world he liked more than being surrounded by his family, even Stefan.

And now Elena.

He had been showing up to work with dark circles under his eyes all week; ever since the first night when they discussed life while eating ice cream in the kitchen they had somehow developed a routine. They would stay up until the early hours of the morning talking and sharing sweet treats, it didn't matter that he was in a numb state the whole next day, he was finding enchanting the process of knowing this woman, she was so much more than he would have expected.

Damon was sure that this was probably not a smart decision and that it would end disastrously but now that he started he just couldn't stop. He wanted to know everything about her, in fact he wanted to know what she was doing right now. Since it was the weekend she had the freedom to go away and apparently she had a party tonight so she and her friend Caroline were heading for a spa day, or at least that's what she told him, but he felt the need to be sure, to hear about her. He even contemplated the chance of sending her a message but decided against it in the last moment; that would blur things even more between them.

"And what got you with that gloomy face?" The voice of his brother brought Damon back to the present and he lifted his eyes to find him taking a seat in front of him while the girls squealed happily to see that their uncle decided to visit. Damon rolled his eyes while Stefan cooed and said cute things to the girls "I am allowed to visit now brother?" Stefan asked Damon with glee on his face once the girls went back to their business.

"Don't bother me Stefan"

"I'm just saying, wouldn't want you ripping my head off again"

"Bite me" Damon muttered and fixed his gaze on his girls again

"I swear that for a minute there I thought you were going to piss all around her" He mocked him before starting to laugh. Damon shot him a nasty look and clenched his jaw.

"We already talked about this and I will not discuss it again" Damon answered

Truth be told he felt terrible after the whole incident. He knew that he had acted wrongly and that he had no right to be mad at either of them for hanging out together, Elena wasn't his but at the moment he couldn't help that rage that went through his body while seeing her smile at his brother. He wanted to be the one she was smiling at, that was a dangerous feeling and he knew it more than anyone.

"Okay, I want to be serious about it for a minute" Stefan leaned closer to him and placed his elbows above the table "There's absolutely nothing wrong about you wanting to have a relationship again"

"Stefan, please don't start with this" Damon grimaced and turned his head to stare at his brother.

"I'm serious Damon, I know you want more than the occasional hookup" Stefan eyes were serious and concerned while regarding him and Damon knew his brother's words came from a good place "And I've seen the way you look at her…"

"I can't Stefan you know that… I won't put myself through that again" Damon closed his eyes and massaged his temples. The sun was starting to shine brighter in the sky and his shirt was clinging to his body with the perspiration leaving his skin. It was overwhelming him, everything around him was suffocating.

"And I know Elena isn't her, no woman can be her Damon" Stefan spoke quietly "You can't let what happened with Kat define your entire life"

"I know Stefan, I know that" Damon whispered and directed his attention back to his daughters "But I also know they love Elena, in the small amount of time she's been here…she cares for them more than Kat ever did. And if things go wrong…I don't want to take that from them"

Stefan let out a soft laugh and leaned back on his chair "And just how long do you think life is Damon?" His elder brother turned his head to look at him with doubt written all over his face "…yeah you don't want to try things with her for it might fail, Enzo wouldn't tell a thing to Bonnie for fear of how she will react, Bonnie wouldn't go to get the tattoo she wants because the notion of forever scares her… and I'm just here wondering how long do you all of think life is?"

"When did you became so deep?" Damon tried to joke

"I'm serious Damon, this is the only life you get, stop being afraid to do the things you want" Damon was about to answer but one of the maids carrying a tray with strawberry lemonades interrupted them. "And if you don't do anything I might get her for myself" Stefan said once the girl retired

Damon's eyes darkened "You don't mess with her" He warned

The younger Salvatore laughed out loud and almost spilled his drink all over the floor "You are so easy"

"Daddy!" Briar shouted from the other side of the pool "When is Lena coming back?"

Stefan's laugh grew stronger while the girls looked at him with weird expressions and ended up laughing with him too. Damon groaned and drank his lemonade, trying to cool himself down. He couldn't stop thinking about her and having everyone at the house ganging up against him wasn't helping either.

He didn't like what he was starting to feel. He needed to be in control and Elena had swiped the rug right from under him. He needed to put himself back together.

* * *

Caroline laughed and threw her arms around Elena "Do I ever tell you how amazing you are?" The blonde girl murmured in her friend's ear who only nodded and tried to steady her.

"Yes you have, now you might need to sit down for a while" Elena started heading towards Matt's bedroom in the back of the apartment.

"I just wanted to have a nice night out you know, why did he have to be such a jerk about it?" Caroline whispered and the catch in her breath was visible. It broke Elena's heart to see her friend like this all because of that stupid Tyler Lockwood.

Today was Matt's surprise party and everything was supposed to be perfect, the party was in full swing and the blonde guy had been surprised and ecstatic by the lengths her friends and girlfriend took to celebrate his birthday but Tyler being a total ass to Caroline minutes after the party started dampening the girl's mood and left her friend ready to nurse every single bottle of alcohol she could get her hands on.

"Because he's a dick, Care, that's why" Elena muttered as she dragged her friend through the apartment. The blonde girl was not capable of standing on her own so it was better to just put her to bed.

"But I love him, Elena, I love him so much" She whined as her eyes colored with unshed tears

"I know you do honey, and I know he doesn't deserve it" Elena answered. Just when both girls were about to reach the bedroom Elena took a bad step and almost came tumbling down the floor with her friend in her arms.

A hand shot up to steady both of them and Elena felt infinitely grateful to whoever it was. "Easy there love" A man with a very hot British accent said and once they were able to balance themselves on their own he walked in front of them and offered to help them. "Let me help you, I'll carry her"

"Oh God no, there's no need. We're almost there" Elena answered. It was a nice gesture but he was a stranger after all.

"Trust me, it'll be better if I take her or both of you might end up on the floor" He said with a small smile and Caroline's eyes lifted to finally acknowledge the guy in front of them. He was tall and blonde, with beautiful eyes and a smile full of promises.

"You're very hot" Caroline muttered to Elena's complete embarrassment

"Thank you love, you are very beautiful yourself" He whispered and Elena tried to stifle a laugh. Caroline was going to love this story in the morning.

"Are you a jackass like Tyler?" The blonde asked in a broken voice

"I have no idea who he is but if he's the reason you're like this he might want to stay away from me" He moved closer to her and removed her arms from around Elena and took her by the knees, carrying her bridal style.

"Oh wow I'm flying" Caroline said as both Elena and the man laughed. Elena moved to the front so she could walk ahead of them and unlock the door of Matt's bedroom, she knew he wouldn't mind if Caroline slept there tonight.

"What's your name?" Caroline asked in a soft voice as her eyes fought to stay open

"I'm Nikklaus, but my friends call me Klaus" He whispered to her and Elena prayed silently to God for this man to be an actual gentleman and to turn out to be the knight in shiny armor who could rescue her from Tyler, but of course it was a long shot. After all this might not mean anything at all to him.

He deposited the almost sleeping girl on the bed and tucked her under the covers. He stared at her for a few seconds and then turned around to face Elena "All set" He said with a smile

"Thank you so much for that"

"It was my pleasure" He answered.

Elena wasn't going to leave her friend's side for one second in the entire night so she started walking towards the bed when the door of the room opened and Matt entered with a friend.

"I knew that it was you who I saw enter here" Matt's friend said with an accent just as attractive as Klaus. Elena turned around and saw a very polished man standing next to Matt, he had light brown hair and the cutest pair of brown eyes.

"What's going on Lena?" Matt asked Elena while eyeing the sleeping Caroline

"Care had a little too much to drink and Klaus here gave us a hand" Elena answered while Matt muttered 'Stupid Tyler' under his breath.

"Thanks man" Matt said to Klaus.

The blonde man only shrugged and looked at the sleeping form of Caroline "Just seemed like she needed help"

"Oh wow what a bad host am I" Matt said looking at the people in the room "Elena this is Klaus and Elijah Michelson, guys this is my good friend Elena Gilbert and the girl sleeping on the bed is Caroline Forbes"

Elena waved awkwardly ,not really knowing what to do since she was in the other side of the room. Klaus eyes went back to Caroline and Elijah's focused on her with mirth shinning in them

"The Elena Gilbert?" He asked

"What do you mean The Elena Gilbert?" She asked with a frown

Matt and Elijah laughed "Matt has been trying to set us up for a while now" The man with the accent answered. Elena frowned even deeper and turned her attention to Matt

"Not in that way" The blonde guy said with his hand raised in front of him

Elijah laughed softly while Klaus chuckled "I own an art gallery and I've seen some of your work, I think you're great"

"You do? I mean you've seen my stuff?" She asked with true interest

"Lena I have tons of your paintings in the house and all over the office" Matt reminded her and she blushed a little. She used to make things for her friends all the time.

"I was really impressed with them and asked Matt to set us up so we could discuss them a little"

"Really?" Elena asked and guessed she probably looked very stupid right now.

"Yes, and this might not be the best moment to talk about it but why don't you give me your number and we can set up a meeting" He offered while pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

"Sure" She answered and proceeded to give him her contact information. She couldn't believe this, it was probably nothing but it made her feel good to know someone else beside her friends and Damon's daughters who thought that her art was actually good.

Caroline growled something in her sleep that might have been 'stupid man' and everyone laughed softly at it

"She's going to be mortified in the morning" Elena muttered and sat on the bed next to her friend.

"And I think that might be our cue to leave" Klaus announced and pushed his brother's shoulder "Nice to meet you Elena" He said before eyeing Caroline one last time.

"You too" The brunette answered

"We'll be in touch Elena" Elijah said before disappearing behind the door with his brother

"You'll stay with her?" Matt asked

"Of course"

"I'll lock the door" The blonde said "I can't believe he ruined tonight for her" Matt muttered

"What's new?" Elena said in a dry tone and Matt nodded before closing the door behind him.

She layed down on the bed next to Caroline's body and wished her friend would realize how bad that relationship was for her. Tyler had never been good to her and was always making her feel so bad about herself. She couldn't believe how Caroline could ignore it.

Then again when you're in love you probably ignore every single bad thing about the other person or why in the world loving them is the last thing you should do.

For Caroline it was falling in love with an abusive man who enjoyed to bring her down. For her it was to fall in love with her manwhore, widowed boss.

Wait. What?

Love?

No. She was not in love with Damon Salvatore.

* * *

Elena closed the door behind her as quietly as possible. It was still pretty early in the morning and she guessed most of the people in the house were still sleeping, she had stayed all night with Caroline in Matt's apartment making sure she was okay.

She removed her high heels and started climbing the stairs making sure to not make noise. She was craving a very long and hot bath and sleeping all morning, truth be told she didn't have much rest last night since she had to make sure Caroline didn't drown in her sleep or something like that.

As she rounded the corner of the hallway to head into her room's direction she felt a pair of arms close around her and push her gently against the wall. She almost shouted in fright but her nose caught the musky and minty smell that belonged to Damon. "Where were you last night?" He whispered into her ear

Elena couldn't see his face but the feel of his breath against her neck made goosebumps appear on her skin "Excuse me?" She stuttered. His cheek was resting against hers and his hands were keeping her in place by her waist.

"Did you spend the night with someone else?" He asked and Elena could hear a hint of anger in his voice which threw her off balance. He had no right to ask her that, she was in her free time and could do whatever she wanted with it.

"I don't think that's-"She started, ready to put him in his place but he surprised her by planting his lips on hers.

The minute their lips made contact it was like fireworks exploded inside of her, he gripped her more roughly and pressed their bodies together as she responded his kiss with a fervor she didn't know she had. He wanted to devour her and she was more than willing to give him everything he asked.

Her hands were tangled in his dark hair as he pressed even closer to her, his right hand cupped her breast trough the fabric of her dress and she moaned into his mouth as he massage it.

The noises of people moving upstairs broke the magic between them, he pulled away from her and stared at her swollen lips for a few seconds before lifting his eyes up to hers.

His blue eyes were dark with desire but Elena could also see fear and regret behind them "I- I shouldn't" He said and she knew what he was about to say and that he was probably right "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry Elena" He muttered before disappearing into the other side of the hallway.

Elena touched her lips as she walked back into her bedroom. A part of her couldn't believe what had just transpired between her and her boss, her heart was still racing and the ache between her thighs was almost unbearable.

The minute she was in her room she closed the door and pressed against it as her hands went inside her dress, she couldn't help it, she needed that release like nothing else in the world and as she threw her head back and worked her fingers between her legs she remembered the feel of his lips on hers, his hands on her body, she could almost smell him next to her, feel his stubble scratching her cheek.

She came with a whimper and seconds afterwards she felt the shame washing over her. Did she really just make herself come thinking about her boss? In a bedroom right in front of his children?

Damon Salvatore was messing with her head and she wasn't sure for how much time she was going to remain sane. Not after the kiss they shared, she wanted him and there was no doubt about it but she was very much afraid that wanting wasn't all she was feeling for him.

* * *

 **A review please?**

 **By the way what are you thinking about the whole Damon/Bonnie thing in the last episodes of the show?**


	6. A show that flopped

_Oh my God I'm so sorry for taking so long in this update, so if you're still reading this than you're awsome! I promise you that next chapter will come way sooner._

 _As always I want to thank Lorena for being my beta on this and to all of you taking the time to read it._

 _Please enjoy!_

* * *

" _ **You're meant to be together. I've known that as long as I've been at the house. And at first this kept you apart, and then that kept you apart but please don't risk it a third time. Because I tell you this: You won't be happy with anyone else while Lady Mary walks the earth"**_

 _ **-Downtown Abbey-**_

 _ **.**_

Elena laughed as Violet scrunched up her nose and frowned "Is there a problem, V?" She asked as she kept moving the pencil around the canvas in front of her.

"My nose itch" The little girl answered

"You can scratch it honey" Elena answered and the girl sighed with relief before taking both hands to her nose and scratching furiously. The older woman laughed again as she shook her head.

It was a beautiful morning and they were both sitting in the back garden surrounded by pink peonies and dark blue flowers, she had no idea what the kind of the latter was but they had become their favorite instantly.

Briar was in school so it was just the two of them right now, Violet had begged Elena for a portrait of herself and of course the brunette girl couldn't refuse. The little girl was using a soft yellow dress that accentuated her features and made her hair seem even darker than it was.

"Lena are you and daddy friends?" The girl asked once she was sitting still again.

Elena almost chocked up when the words left the girl's mouth. Were they? Or was he just her employer? After their nights at the kitchen she liked to think they were becoming friends but after that kiss happened they'd both been doing the best in ignoring each other so she had no idea where she stood with him anymore.

For example, she knew that right now he was conducting some kind of business in his home office but he had payed no attention to them. The only time she saw him in the day was when he approached to say good morning to Violet, kissed her and said all kinds of sweet things to the girl. But other than that, he completely ignored her.

It unnerved her and made her feel a bit ashamed to think things were strained between them now, even though it wasn't her fault, she definitely wasn't the one to start the kiss but then again she hadn't stopped him either. What was he expecting? The man was sex on a stick; she wasn't going to refuse him when he pretty much attacked her in the hallway. If someone should be ashamed it was him.

"Of course we are. Why do you ask darling?" She finally answered the girl's question

"Because you've been acting strange lately" Violet answered while tapping her little feet against the floor.

"Strange?" Elena asked with a raised eye brow and her gaze fixated on the canvas. The portrait was almost finished and only needed a couple of more touches. It was a fine job and she knew Violet was going to love it.

"He don't look at you when he's here" She answered "And he told Uncle Stefan the other day 'I don't know how long I can stand her being here' I think he was talking about you"

Elena frowned at Violet's words. What the hell did he mean with that? Was he going to fire her? Her body closed up in panic at the possibility, this was a good job with more than good money she couldn't afford to lose it and more than anything she didn't want to be away from the girls. In a short period of time they had managed to carve a place in her heart and she couldn't imagine letting them go.

"Did you fight Lena?" Violet asked so quietly that it made Elena lift her eyes off the canvas and stare into her eyes "I don't want you to go" Her lower lip trembled and she knew the girl was about to cry.

"Of course not darling, I promise you I'm not leaving" Elena knew she probably shouldn't be making those promises. But damn Damon Salvatore, he wasn't going to get rid of her that easily. She would fight him tooth and nail if he wanted her out of his house "Why don't you come here and see your portrait?" She offered and watched the pout disappear from Violet's face.

She hopped out of her chair and ran towards where she was sitting "Is that me?!" She shrieked when she saw the painting in front of Elena "It's so pretty!" Her eyes sparkled as she eyed her nanny's work "Can we show it to daddy?! And Uncle Stefan! And Allie?!"

Elena laughed and stroked the soft curls in the little girl's hair "Of course doll, but maybe we should start with Allie because your Daddy and Uncle are both working right now"

Violet nodded enthusiastically and took Elena's hand, forcing her to stand up and take her to the kitchen where Allie was working on the lunch.

After the younger Salvatore showed Elena's work to a marveled Allie they headed to the girl's room so that Violet could change into more fresh and comfortable clothes and get ready for lunch. Elena went to her room to freshen up a little bit and was about to enter the girl's room to pick up Violet when voices from downstairs caught her attention.

She walked towards the stairs and leaned herself against the balustrade so she could see better, she knew she shouldn't be doing it but curiosity got the best of her.

"It's been wonderful to see you again handsome, I can't wait until our next meeting" Elena heard the sultry voice of a woman and leaned a bit more to see a woman with light dark hair and a killer pair of legs touching Damon's shoulder

"It's been a while, Andie, but as always, it was a complete pleasure to be with you" Damon answered and Elena felt like a knife had been stuck in her gut.

She moved away from the stairs and walked back to the girl's room, trying her best not to let them know how devastated she was. Damon Salvatore was just like any other man but he was crazy if he thought he was getting rid of her that easily, she wanted this job and she was going to keep it.

* * *

Elena brushed her long curls before applying a coat of light pink gloss onto her lips. She was wearing a low cut neckline flowery print blouse and a pair of black skinny jeans combined with black stilettos.

She looked damn fine and a part of her hoped to find Damon on her way out so he could see all that he was missing. Then she admonished herself for having those thoughts. She was going to have dinner with Elijah, Matt's friend, who had showed a huge interest in her paintings and owned an art gallery, the outing wasn't anything romantic or something like that but Elena was a bit nervous to go out with him, he was such an important man in the art world and it was more than an honor to have him think so highly of her work.

Elena called Caroline earlier to see if she could crash in her apartment tonight but since the blonde was in the midst of her reconciliation with Tyler Elena decided it was better to return to the Salvatore house. Sometimes she wondered how the hell Caroline could put up with all the crap that Lockwood guy threw at her way.

She huffed after looking herself in the floor length mirror once more and grabbed her purse before heading out to the door of her room. She walked down the stairs in a hurry and was almost on the way out when a hand in her arm stopped her.

"Elena-"The throaty voice made her halt and her heart started doing cartwheels in her chest. "I've been wanting to talk to you" He whispered against her ear

"Really?" She asked with a raised eye brow as she turned around to see him. He was wearing a dark blue t shirt, jeans and no shoes. How could someone's feet be so attractive? She didn't know but she did know he was dashing.

He grimaced at her tone and released her arm "I know it's seems like I've been avoiding you, and that perhaps I've been rude-"

"Is she your girlfriend?" She blurted out and was completely mortified when she realized she said that out loud.

"What?" Damon asked with a confused expression on his face

"The woman who was here earlier… I overheard you two and I-"

"No Elena, Andie is just a dear friend. We've never been involved that way" He answered. Elena knew that she had no right to ask him those things but couldn't help but feel like she needed to know.

"Are you going to fire me?" Elena asked, her sharp gaze piercing into his eyes and her chin lifted in a stubborn way.

"What?" He looked at her with confusion "Of course not Elena. Why would you ask that? Do you want to quit?"

"No!" She answered horrified "But Violet heard you saying some things to Stefan and she thought…"

"No, no of course not" He walked closer to her and she felt her body start to respond to his near presence "The last thing I want is for you to go"

"So you won't fire me?"

"No Elena, I won't fire you"

"Then I guess we have nothing else to talk about" She answered before turning around and continuing her path to the door. She heard him sigh behind her but didn't stop. He had started with all of this and then he brought that Andie girl into the house, she probably was another one of his one night stands and Elena hated the way her body shook with jealousy at the thought.

But she would forget about it for at least a few hours, she would go to dinner with Elijah, talk about her work and completely forget about the blue eyed man who made her body tingle like no one else.

* * *

Elena kicked her heels and headed for the bathroom with a soft smile on her lips. The night had been more than successful, Elijah had invited her to collaborate on his gallery, he wanted for her to make some new pieces for a show he was having next month. She had no idea how she would manage to do it but not accepting wasn't an answer.

She removed all the make up from her face and brushed her long hair before putting it into a side braid. Then she put on pink shorts and a white tank top, she was more than ready to call it a night. In general she had lots of fun with Elijah but a part of her wondered if he had other intentions with her because if that was the case she would have to have a serious conversation with him.

Elena turned off the light and dropped herself onto her big fluffy bed loving the way the sheets felt against her body. No matter how much she tried to take her mind off him her mind went back to Damon once again, what was he thinking? What did he expect from her? His eyes when he spoke with her before leaving had been haunted and troubled. Could he have been as distressed as her?

A knock on the door startled her and she sat up on the bed wondering if it was one of the girls "Come in" She called and her heart almost stopped dead in her chest when the door opened slowly and Damon appeared in the entryway.

"Damon?" She asked with a raised eye brow and surprise written all over her face

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to the kitchen with me" He said with a gesture Elena could only describe as timid as he showed her a tub of chocolate mint ice cream.

The brunette girl couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face and chastised herself for the way her whole body was starting to tingle with the mere suggestion of spending time with this man. "I would love to" She answered truthfully

He smiled back at her and turned his back to her as she left the bed and put on her robe. They walked back to the kitchen in complete silence and once he was there he placed the tub on the counter and searched for two spoons, Elena took one from him and sat on the chair across from him like they had done every night for the past few weeks. She had missed this so much.

"I'm sorry" He said once they were both seated. Elena gave him a questioning look "For attacking you the other day" He told her as a blush started to creep onto his face "And for ignoring you afterwards"

"Damon-"

"No, wait, I need to say this." He huffed and rummaged a hand through his hair, leaving it in a disheveled state that did nothing to calm down Elena's desire for him "I'm attracted to you, I guess that's something we both know at this point but you are the girl's nanny and I shouldn't have acted the way I did"

Elena stared at him, feeling completely speechless, still hung up on the fact that he was attracted to her, of course she knew that but hearing it from his lips was a whole other deal. "And afterwards I was completely ashamed; I had no idea how to act around you so I just started to avoid you"

"Probably not the smartest choice" Elena said under her breath and her eyes widened when he laughed softly, she hadn't intended for the words to leave her mouth

"Yeah probably not"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to-"He silenced her by placing his spoon into her lips. Elena took the bite of ice cream he was offering and felt her body heating up under his gaze

"I want to start over" He told her and opened a drawer behind him and pulled out a white small envelope. "You're taking next Friday off"

"I am?" Elena asked as he handed her the envelope

"Yes, you are, you can take whoever you want…" He told her as she opened it and found two tickets to Friday's show of the Phantom of the Opera in Broadway

"Oh my God Damon, I can't take this…" She told him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe he did this for her, he remembered, none of her past boyfriends had remembered big things about her and yet Damon (who was not he boyfriend) remembered something she told him one night a couple of days ago.

"Yes, you can and you will" He said with a smirk "You can take Caroline with you or…"

"Or?" Elena asked with a raised eye brow as she watched his eyes shining with mischief

"You can take me with you" He said shrugging and she couldn't help the small laugh that left her lips.

"I could right?"

"Only if you want to" He answered her, his tone suddenly serious.

"I guess we'll both be taking the day off next Friday" She said while fanning herself with the tickets, trying to lighten up the mood once again. He relaxed again and continued eating the ice cream.

And just like that everything was okay between them again, somehow without really noticing it their relationship had shifted and there was no going back. They stayed the whole night in the kitchen just talking, the air rustling the trees outside and their voices and laughter the only sound inside the house.

* * *

 **BTW tomorrow is my birthday so please can you leave a review as a present? :)**

 **Love you all!**


	7. The Point of no return

**Hello there! Told you I wouldn't take long this time ;)**

 **Huge thanks to Lorena for being an awsome beta!**

 **Thank you so much to all reading this, and to all who wished me a happy birthday, you guys are truly the best. I'm starting my very first job tomorrow (as a highschool teacher) so please wish me luck, I'm super nervous!**

 **I'm so exited for you to read this, it's definitly one of my favorites and I really hope you like it.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Passed the point of no return, no going back now  
Our passion play has now at last begun  
Passed all thought of right or wrong, one final question  
How long should we two wait, before we're one?

Passed the point of no return, the final threshold  
The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn  
We've passed the point of no return

 _ **The point of no return**_

 _ **.**_

Elena had lived in a state of complete stress the entire week while Caroline had squealed on the other side of the phone when the brunette told her about Damon's plan of going to the theater on Friday. She had Facetimed her to help her pick the perfect outfit and by Wednesday Elena already had a flawless ensemble ready to wear.

Damon had been extremely busy because of the new hotel they were opening, or that's what Stefan told her, so they barely saw each other during the week, he even wasn't available for their nightly trips to the kitchen. She only hoped he hadn't forgotten about today or her heart would be truly crushed.

"Why are you so quiet Lena?" Briar asked as Elena brushed Violet's hair gently. They were in the girl's bedroom and since their homework and chores were already over they asked for her to braid their hair.

"I am not being quiet Briar Rose" Elena offered with a smile as she started to move her fingers through Violet's soft hair

"Yes, you are" Violet answered "Are you nervous about going out with daddy?" The youngest girl asked and Elena could detect a hint of mischief in her voice

"Excuse me?" She asked in surprise. The only person she mentioned going out with Damon was Caroline and she was more than sure that her friend didn't say a word to any of the girls.

"The theater" Briar answered with a smile that made her resemble deeply to her father

"And how do you know about that?" Elena asked feeling the nerves starting to bubble in her stomach. If the girls knew about it then surely he hadn't forgotten about it.

"Daddy and Uncle Stefan were talking yesterday-"Violet started talking

"Girls you know that it's not right to be hearing other people's conversations" Elena admonished them, both girls looked at each other with regretful eyes and nodded.

"We know, but it wasn't intentional" Briar said "And we heard daddy tell Uncle Stefan about going with you to Broadway"

"'Can't wait to Friday' Daddy said and Friday is today" Violet said and Elena felt her entire body turn into butter at the words. He hadn't forgotten and he was as excited as her.

Elena placed an elastic to hold Violet's braid in place and then kissed the crown of her head softly.

"Do you love daddy Lena?" Briar asked and Elena's eyes almost fell out of her sockets. What was it with these girls and their questions?

"Umm what do you mean by that Briar?"

"It's just that daddy's all alone all the time… and when you're here he smiles all the time" Briar's eyes looked deeply at her and Elena felt the little girl's words pull at the strings of her heart "He looks at you like prince charming looks at Cinderella"

"Or beast to the beauty" Violet said

Elena laughed softly and her cheeks warmed with color. Could they be right? Could Damon want something different with her, something more than a booty call? After all, aren't children perceptive of these things?

"Who is the beauty and the beast?" Stefan's voice said from the doorway and Elena blushed deeply just thinking that he heard the conversation between her and the girls.

"Uncle Stefan!" Violet shrieked and ran towards the youngest Salvatore who lifted her in the air and twirled her around the room.

"It seems I'm on nanny duty today, girls" Stefan said as he winked to Elena "Your daddy and Lena here have something to do today"

"Told you" Briar whispered into Elena's ear

Stefan placed Violet onto the floor and headed towards Elena "I think it's time for you to leave Ms. Gilbert" Stefan extended both of his hands to her and she took them so he could help her get up from the ground.

Elena gave him a questioning look and he only shrugged "The boss sent me, told me to let you go so that you could get ready" Elena could see that there was something else he wanted to say to her but he restrained himself.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow girls" She told them and they both went towards her and hugged her

"Maybe you should let him hold your hand" Violet whispered in her ear and Elena couldn't help but laugh at the innocent words of the girl. Briar placed a soft kiss on her cheek and smiled at her, and in that moment Elena felt herself being chocked up with all the love she had for these girls.

"Good luck, Miss Gilbert" Stefan told her with a wink before she exited the room. Shaking her head she opened the door to her own room across the hall and her breath got stuck in her throat at the sight.

A beautiful silk black dress lay on top of her bed, it was strapless with a tight bodice and a wide skirt, hints of gold adorned the hem and the breast area. It was without a doubt the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding as she walked closer, she placed her hands and felt the soft fabric, her eyes were instantly dragged towards the tag and when she spotted the words Monique Lhuillier she knew this was way out of her league.

"Oh God" She placed a hand on top of her chest when she saw the shoe box resting next to the dress "This can't be real" She opened it and the most beautiful pair of gold sandals stared back at her. "Oh boy" She whispered when she took the little note that was tucked between the sandals.

 _Hello there, I can almost see you hyperventilating right now Elena, please calm down. There is no way you're returning these shoes or the dress so please just get excited and wear them, I chose them thinking about you. I know without a doubt that you'll look gorgeous with them. This is a gift I want to make you and if you feel uncomfortable with that…well just think of it as a work benefit._

 _I'll be waiting for you downstairs at seven pm, please don't make me wait too long._

 _D._

"Holy crap" Elena muttered as she folded the note again and sat on the bed. What did this mean? Elena thought to herself. Does he want us to be something else or are we still just friends? Damon sure was sending her all kinds of signals and she didn't want to misunderstand them.

She turned her head towards the dress and again ran her hands through the fabric. It was too much but she couldn't help the excitement building inside her, never in her life had she even contemplated wearing something so delicate, so elegant, especially not to be on a date with a man like Damon, it was as if she was living her own Cinderella moment, hopefully the spell would hold longer than midnight this time.

With a childish laugh she took her phone out of her back pocket and snapped a picture and sent it to Caroline with a message attached.

" _ **Damon got this for me, for tonight"**_

Within minutes the response from her blonde friend arrived

" _Shut up! Why didn't I decide to seduce him first?"_

" _ **Because you're dumb Caroline"**_

" _Oh my God I'm picturing this already, maybe he'll seduce you in a very phantom way and you will end up caving like Christine should have"_

" _ **Shut up"**_

" _Oh come on you know you want it and he doesn't even need to buy you a dress to do that"_

" _ **I know…"**_

" _You're so getting laid tonight"_

" _ **Caroline, of course not! This is barely our first date. I don't even know if it's a date"**_

" _Okay that's enough, I'm calling you"_

Elena shook her head with a smile on her lips as her best friend's number flashed on the screen.

This was going to be a fun night

* * *

Elena looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't believe what she was seeing, she wasn't vain or anything like that but she couldn't deny that she looked absolutely stunning. Her soft hair was in curls and placed delicately on the side of her neck, leaving her slender neck uncovered on one side. She went for a smoky look on her eyes and nude for her lipstick.

She gave herself a small pep talk before spraying 'La vie e bella' on her body and walking out of the room. As she walked down the stairs, her hand gripping the balustrade she spotted him at the end of the stairs and she couldn't help but think that this was truly her Cinderella moment. He was wearing a black tux that made his skin look paler and his eyes bluer, his hair was perfectly styled and a gentle smiled caressed his lips.

"You look absolutely stunning Elena" He whispered with a hint of awe as his eyes roamed all over her figure. She blushed under his stare and smiled at him.

"You look pretty good yourself" She offered and he smirked at her praise.

"Let's get going" he said before offering his arm to her. She took it with a smile and they left the house. Unbeknown to them three pair of eyes watched them leave with smiles on their faces from a window in the second floor.

Elena chatted all the way to the theater, she was incredibly nervous and couldn't stop, thankfully Damon didn't seem to mind, he listened to her with complete attention as she blabbed about why this play was her favorite and of how she and Caroline watched the movie every year on Christmas eve.

When they sat down inside the theater Elena's skin was tingling with excitement, both from the man sitting next to her and from the anticipation of seeing the play she had wanted to see for so long.

"I can feel your giddiness all the way from over here" Damon said with a chuckle

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've been wanting to do this for so long" She answered while looking at him with a wide smile "Thank you, thank you so much for bringing me here" She told him and squeezed his hand gently but for Damon it felt like she was squeezing his heart.

It was so refreshing to be with a woman like Elena, in his world every single woman he had contact with expected for good things to happen to them and took everything for granted, God knows that Katherine had been like that, but not her, not Elena. He knew her gratefulness came straight from her heart and made him like her even more than he already did.

As the lights dimmed and the curtains started to part he stared at her feeling mesmerized, her eyes growing big and such a childlike excitement appearing in them. Every single eye in the room was fixated on the front but not his, his were only on the woman sitting next to him.

Elena felt transported into a world of pure sensuality and fantasy, mystery and passion. Her whole body was enveloped by the sound of the music and magic the actors accomplished with their work. She couldn't help the goosebumps that appeared on her skin when they started to sing "The phantom of the opera" or tears to leave her eyes as she watched with rapt attention as "The music of the night" developed in front of her. This was without a doubt a magical night and it was all thanks to the man next to her.

Damon watched with fascination the whole story developing in front of his eyes, his whole life spent in New York and he never contemplated the chance of watching this play but now he knew why Elena loved the story so much, it was magical, full of passion and mystery and it was so well developed that it made your whole body sing with the magic in it. He didn't even know how but he found himself taking Elena's hand and he felt her grip at it tightly when "The point of no return" started. And for a brief moment he thought that this was also the point of no return for them.

"This was the best night ever, thank you so much Damon" Elena beamed at him and he felt his chest constricting at the sight. They were walking together through Times Square, their hands resting at their sides and almost touching each other. The lights of the city illuminating her face as her dress swayed in the night air and he swore he never before saw something so beautiful.

"It was my pleasure, in fact I enjoyed it quite a lot, more than I thought I would honestly" He answered truthfully and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"What was your favorite song?" She asked as they walked a bit more towards the place where the driver was supposed to pick them up.

"Music of the night" He answered

"Mine too" Elena chipped happily "It's always been a favorite, there's just something about that song that manages to hypnotize you, it engages all of your senses and just transports you to another place"

' _Just like you'_ Damon wanted to say. Seeing her talk so passionately about something stirred things inside of him that had been asleep for too long. Seeing her so happy made him realize how right his choice of bringing her to Broadway was.

"I agree with you, there's something so magical about that song, the whole play actually" He took her elbow in his hands when he saw the car approaching and then helped her inside the car. Elena felt tingles in the part of skin he touched with his fingers.

Damon greeted the driver, gave him an address and put up the privacy screen so he and Elena could speak alone.

"But you don't really like the ending right?" Damon asked her, remembering something she had told him earlier in the night.

"Nope" She said while shaking her head softly "I was totally rooting for Erik and Christine"

"But he was kind of a psychopath killer" Damon stated as he moved a bit closer to her in the cramped space of the car. Elena could smell the leather of the seats and the minty scent of him; she almost wanted to get closer so that she could breathe him in.

"He was a misunderstood and tortured soul" She said with half a smile "And I liked them because she brought out the best in him and he made her face the darkest parts of her, and come on, everyone loves a mysterious man like Erik"

"They do?" He smirked at her and his eyes turned bluer while staring at her "would you say I'm mysterious Elena?" He asked in a low voice as his face moved towards her

"I would say…" She closed her eyes as he pressed his cheek to hers, it was warm and smooth so she guessed he had shaved before coming "I would…"

"What would you say Miss Gilbert?" His sultry velvety voice whispered in her ear and Elena felt a rush of wetness dampen her underwear. How could a man's mere voice do that to a woman?

"You are a very mysterious man, Mr. Salvatore"

He smirked against her skin as his hand gently caressed her arm, he knew he was taking this a bit too far but he just couldn't help himself. Not after being so near to her the entire night, watching the slender curve of her neck and the soft skin of her shoulders, he needed her.

"Damon" She moaned softly as he made his way onto her neck and ran his lips through the length of it, not quite kissing but awakening things inside her. Her eyes were closed and she threw her head back as her hands gripped at his bicep

"My sweet Elena" He murmured as his lips moved through her jaw and then an inch higher and just when his lips were placed at the corner of her mouth the car came to a stop and brought them out of that sensual spell they were caught in. "My apologies" He murmured with a soft smile as he moved around to adjust his pants.

Elena blushed furiously and averted her eyes to the window, she couldn't believe what had transpired between them in the car. She had never done something so bold but she was sure that if he had asked her she would have let him fuck her in that backseat.

Damon stepped out of the car and afterwards helped her to do the same, she could still feel the sensual energy buzzing between them, stronger than it ever was before. Elena lifted her eyes and stared in awe at the fancy restaurant they were at, Damon was truly treating her with a night she never expected.

"Come on" He whispered in a raspy voice and tugged at her hand so she would move forward. Elena's gaze moved to their joined hands and she couldn't help the smile that grazed her lips at the sight.

They were seated in a very secluded and private part of the restaurant and Elena wondered briefly if Damon had pulled any favors to get such an exclusive table so soon in a place like this.

With the delicious food and the wine flowing in the air around them they soon became more comfortable, they talked and talked like they'd known each other for years instead of just weeks. Damon loved to talk about the girls and Elena was fascinated with the way his eyes shined while referring to them, there was no doubt that he was a devoted father.

"Violet showed me the portrait you made of them" Damon told her before sipping his wine "It is beautiful, Elena, you are very talented"

"Thank you" She answered while blushing slightly "Painting or sketching has always been my passion and I was lucky enough to count with a family that supported my dream"

"That's very important indeed" He told her "I want to be that kind of father for the girls, I know I can be strict sometimes but I just want what's best for them, I want them to know that I will support them no matter what" Elena could see an edge of vulnerability when he spoke about them and it made her heart ache, she had no idea what had transpired in Damon's past life but it surely left a big scar on him.

"They do Damon, trust me" Elena said to him "Those girls adore you, they talk about you about half of the time we're together"

He laughed genuinely and Elena fell in love with his smile right there "I imagine that must be awful to you" He said in a flirty voice

"Awful? Now why would you say that?" She answered in an equally playful voice and a twitch in his eyes. Damon looked at her over the rim of his glass and shook his head in silent laughter.

"So… can I know who the person you went out with last week was?" He asked as he looked down and concentrated on his food. Damon knew he probably shouldn't be asking this, they were not in a relationship after all but she had asked him about Andie so he felt he had some kind of right to know who the man was.

"He was Elijah Michaelson" Elena said while moving a bit in her seat, a little uncomfortable with the answer "He's a friend of a friend and he had seen some of my work, he owns an art gallery and wanted to talk with me about my work"

' _I bet he does'_ Damon thought and then chastised himself. He had heard a lot about the Michaelson brothers, they were incredibly successful and Elena was incredibly talented so of course they would want to collaborate with her. But Elijah Michaelson was also handsome, single and loaded, without children or any kind of emotional baggage. He was every girl's dream and that made him feel a little bit uncomfortable.

"He's just a friend Damon" Elena said in a soft voice and that's when he realized he had zoomed out on her.

"Of course" He smiled tightly at her "You owe me no explanation Elena" Thankfully the waiter interrupted them by placing their dessert in front of them, Elena had claimed to be too full to eat more but Damon stated that you couldn't leave dinner without dessert so he had ordered a single piece of chocolate fudge cake so they could share.

Elena cut a piece with her fork and brought it to her mouth "Oh God" She moaned with closed eyes when the chocolate hit her tongue. Damon felt himself growing harder in his pants for the second time tonight, he was going to end up with a severe case of blue balls.

"I thought you were too full" He joked

"I thought that too" She told him with a wink

He laughed and the night continued flowing with the same ease as before, Damon was having more fun than he remembered having in his entire life, never had he enjoyed a woman's company like Elena's. She was like a ray of light in a dark night, everyone was drawn to her, to her eyes, her laugh and he was no exception. She had casted a powerful spell on him and he knew he never wanted to be free again.

But of course because nothing in his life ever came easy there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head reminding him he wasn't being completely honest with her. Also this looked way too good to be truth and he knew more than anyone that things didn't always turn out to be perfect. Could he risk himself to such pain again? What would happen if things didn't work out between them? He couldn't watch her walk away, not her.

"Damon?" Elena's hand placed on his arm brought him out of his daze, the car was already parked in front of the house and the driver was waiting for them to step out.

"Sorry" He muttered and helped her out of the car. They entered the house in complete silence and then he offered to walk her to her bedroom. Elena laughed softly at this, she knew he had no intentions of sleeping with her or he would be leading her towards his bedroom instead so Caroline had been completely wrong and would be devastated the next day since she had ordered for Elena to call her first thing in the morning with a description of Damon's performance in bed.

"Thank you Elena" He murmured when they were outside her bedroom "You gave me the most wonderful night"

"No, thanks to you Damon, you made one of my dreams come true" She told him with the brightest of smiles and his chest felt like it was about to explode. ' _I want to make all of your dreams come true'_... He thought to himself

"Good night Damon" She said with a half-smile and he just couldn't restrain himself any longer. He took her face between his hands and pressed his lips to hers in the most gentle of kisses.

Elena closed her eyes as she felt his lips moving with hers, his hands gripping her face as if she was mere porcelain and would break at the touch. She was surrounded with the minty scent of him and wanted nothing more than to melt into him and never let go.

"Good night, Elena" He murmured next to her mouth once their lips were parted. He dropped his hands and left after giving her one last smile.

Elena entered her bedroom and dropped herself next to the door. That kissed had moved the earth from underneath her. What was happening between her and Damon? She let out a carefree laugh as she looked herself in the full length mirror directed towards the door. Sitting in the floor with her crumpled beautiful dress and dolled up like a movie star.

The clock had struck midnight a long time ago but somehow she still felt like a princess.

* * *

 **So what did you guys think?**


	8. The weight of us

**Hello there!**

 **So sorry it took me so long and that it's kind of short but I really hope you like it.**

 **Huge thanks to everyone reading and to Lorena for being my beta on this.**

* * *

There's a cold heart, buried beneath  
and warm blood, running deep  
Secrets - are mine to keep  
protected by silent sleep  
I'm not ready, I'm not ready  
for the weight of us, for the weight of us

 **The weight of us**

 **.**

Elena dipped a French-fry into the catsup bowl as Caroline almost chocked on her cherry cola. "So he totally felt you up in the car" The blonde said between coughs. Elena moved to pat her back but the blonde moved her hand away "I'm fine, jeez, it was just the commotion"

Elena rolled her eyes at her friend and took a sip of her own glass. It was Saturday night and they were currently sitting in Caroline's apartment, the blonde had called her first thing in the morning demanding answers but Elena told her she would need to wait until she could tell her everything face to face.

"He has it so bad for you, I'm telling you this is going to be good" The blonde girl said "Even though I still can't believe he didn't try to sleep with you, it's more than obvious than he wants to"

"Oh I don't know maybe it has something to do with the fact that I babysit his children and it would be a mistake to rush things" Elena answered. There was no denying the fact that she had wanted to sleep with him the night before but she also understood that once they crossed that line there would be no way back.

"You're probably right. Either way this makes me so happy!" Caroline said while clapping her hands "You have no idea how long it's been since I've seen you this way about a boy" Elena looked at her with a quirked eye brow "Try never!"

"Very funny"

"I'm serious, yes you've dated and I'm pretty sure that you loved Jake during the time you were together, but it was puppy love. The way you look when you talk about Damon…" Elena blushed and looked down at the french fries still lying on her plate "There's so much passion there"

"It scares me Caroline, I've known him for just a few weeks and I already feel like he has a hold over my heart, every time that I'm with him it's like… he consumes me Caroline and that scares the shit out of me" Elena closed her eyes for a moment and opened them to find her best friend looking at her with sympathy. "What if it doesn't work out? I think it would literally break me to walk away from him and the girls"

"Don't think like that honey, all good things in life are a risk and scary. But isn't that what we dreamed about when we were little. You know, great love." Caroline looked deeply at her and Elena realized it wasn't just her they were talking about anymore "And great love is wild and passionate. It burns and consumes"

"Did you just quote Buffy the vampire slayer?" Elena asked with a smile

"There was a marathon yesterday on TV, so yeah. But the fact that it comes from a tv show doesn't make it any less true" Her friend stated with a serious look "I know you want that kind of love and if what you feel for Damon right now feels remotely like that then go for it girl" She said raising her glass in the direction of Elena "And it's also why I decided to end things with Tyler for good"

"Are you serious?" Elena asked, her eyes almost coming out of her sockets

"Yes, I love him and I think a part of me will always love him but he's just not the same man I fell in love with. He changed and I think this new version of him doesn't care about me anymore, I think he's just used to the idea of us, of me" The blonde's eyes shinned with unshed tears but she managed to smile as she stared at her friend "I want that too, great love. And I know Tyler won't give it to me, I can't keep letting him hurt me."

"I'm so proud of you Caroline" Elena stood up and moved so she could take her friend into her arms "You'll do so much better without him holding you back"

"I know" The blonde said as she rested her head on Elena's shoulder

"But I still can't believe that Matt and I tried to tell you this for the last four years and you took the decision after watching a Buffy marathon" Both girls laughed out loud and Caroline could feel the pressure loosening up in her chest

"What can I say, Spike is a really smart guy"

"Mew, I'm more of an Angel person" Elena said with a smile and they both started laughing again.

"So, what are you going to do once you see Damon again?" Caroline asked once they released themselves from their hugs.

"I don't know, I think I'll just wait and see how he acts with me" She hadn't seen Damon in the whole day and in some way she was grateful for it. She needed time to gather her thoughts and truly know what she was feeling. "I don't even know what we're doing"

Would they start a relationship? Friends with benefits? She had no idea. But she guessed they would keep things in secret, it wouldn't be fair for the children if things didn't work out in the end, Elena knew that Briar and Violet wanted her to be with their father so it would break their hearts if things ended badly between them.

"I think you're right, and you probably should keep things hidden for a bit" Caroline said as if she was reading her mind "Because those kids love you to death, at least Briar does, she talks about you all the time" The blonde girl said with a smile and Elena felt her heart expanding.

She loved them too, deeply. There was nothing she wanted more than to take care of them and their father. Elena never thought a lot about having a family of her own and those kinds of things but right know she found herself wishing for a quiet family life next to a wonderful man like Damon Salvatore.

* * *

Damon groaned as he closed the laptop in front of him and dropped his head into his hands.

"Can I know what has you in such a merry mood mate?" Enzo asked as he walked into Damon's home office.

"Can't you guess?" The blue eyed man answered while lifting his head to stare into his friend's eyes

"I would try and say it's because of a brunette bombshell but I don't want to assume" Enzo took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and crossed one leg on top of the other.

"You would be right" Damon said and slumped back in his chair "I swear to God I don't even know what I am doing anymore"

He had been in a state of complete stress ever since the night before, he truly hadn't expected all the emotions the girl evoked in him; she was gorgeous, that was true but there was something more to her, Damon was incredibly afraid of what he was starting to feel for her and how it would affect the dynamic in the house.

"What do you mean? You took her on a date mate that hardly means you have to marry her"

"You don't get it Enzo, Elena is not the kind of girl you play with" Damon said in a gravelly voice "If only you knew… she's the kind of girl that brings you to your knees… and I want, I want to give her everything she asks for" Enzo raised his brows at Damon's statement "See where my problem lays?!" Damon said with exasperation in his voice

"I don't see a problem here mate, it just seems to me like you're in-"

"Don't" Damon raised a hand in the air and stopped his friend "Don't even finish that sentence Enzo, I can't be"

"Why not?" His friend shrugged "Because of Kat? For how long are you going to let her control everything you do"

"It's not like that" Damon said grimacing

"Yes it is, and okay I get it, she did a number on you" Enzo moved forward and leaned onto the table "And I get it, it's hard to move past it but Damon what happened with her is in the past, all of it. Just let it go mate"

Damon huffed and laced his hand in front of him. He knew his friend was right. He had said those same words to himself a million times over but it was easier said than done and besides now he had the girls, it wasn't just him in the equation this time.

"I know, I know but… I don't even know…" He let the sentence hang in the air

"Because let me tell you something if you don't take a leap and try something with this girl then I think it's better if you cut this shit and leave her alone" Enzo said sharply and Damon felt his words twisting in his gut "Stop encouraging her because eventually it's going to blow up in your face," Enzo said sharply and Damon felt his words twisting in his gut.

Damon knew his friend was right, Elena had become such an important part of their lives in the small amount of time she had been at the house and if he did something to ruin it all the children would never forgive him. But the idea of not touching her again, of not kissing her was unbearable; in all honesty he had no idea what he planned to do with them but going back to square one wasn't an option, not after last night.

"You see, I gave you a lot to think about, I'm such a clever man" Enzo said with a sufficient smile on his face.

"Bite me" Damon gritted while rolling his eyes "Anyway, there was something you wanted to discuss? That's why you showed up in my house on a Sunday morning?"

"Oh yes, the masquerade" The dark eyed man answered with a smirk on his face

"Masquerade?" Damon asked, eyebrows raised in confusion

"Bonnie told me you would forget about it" Enzo muttered "The charity? They're raising money for research on spinal cord injuries, ring a bell?"

"Oh fuck, I totally forgot" Damon said while smacking his forehead lightly

"I'll tell Bonnie to remind you all the details, the point is that you need to donate something for the auction"

"Donate something?"

"Yes, anything that belongs to you"

"Like my favorite pair of shoes?" Damon asked with a smirk on his lips

"It wouldn't be bad, it doesn't need to be of great value but it need to belong to you. Every important personality is giving something, I heard Josephine Alarcon is donating a hair brush. Can you believe that woman?"

Damon laughed and shook his head while rummaging through his brain trying to find an idea for the donation when it suddenly hit him, Elijah Michaelson wasn't the only one who could help Elena launch her career. "I think I have the perfect item"

"Really? What is it?"

"A painting" He smiled as Enzo looked around the room admiring the variety of art Damon had hanging on his walls.

"Okay then, I'll let Valerie know"

"Valerie? She's hosting this event?" Damon asked

Enzo huffed in annoyance "Seriously mate, your head is in the clouds these days"

"This should be interesting, I hope there's no drama between her and Stefan in the ball" Damon said with a frown

"I wouldn't count on that" Enzo said

They talked for a few more minutes and then Enzo excused himself claiming to have some important event to attend to, Damon of course knew he was meeting Bonnie for brunch but decided not to mention anything, they would decide when it was the right time to make their romance known.

Damon needed to talk to Elena, needed to tell her he would purchase one of her paintings to donate and to ask her to be his date to the masquerade. Suddenly the future didn't seem so scary anymore, for the first time in a long time he was feeling utter and complete happiness in his life. The feeling that maybe things would work out this time.

* * *

Damon entered the kitchen and smiled when he saw the brunette girl picking out pieces of a defrosted pizza slice.

"Pizza? At this time?" He asked while looking at the wall clock that marked 2:30 am.

Elena chuckled slightly "I wasn't hungry when I went to bed but woke up with a huge hole in my stomach so…" She shrugged and gestured to the plate in front of her.

"Can I keep you company?" He asked even though he already knew her answer. They had been doing this routine for the last week after all.

"Sure" She smiled as her eyes were casted down

"How was your day?" He asked before taking out a chair and sitting on it.

"It was pretty nice actually, I spent the entire morning with Caroline, we even went to get massages and to the movies"

"A girls day then?"

"Yeah, Caroline and I have been friends since we were little girls and we see each other pretty much every week but lately her boyfriend started to be a little bit overwhelming so we didn't see each other as much as before. Luckily that's about to change"

"How so?" He asked with a raised brow as he watched with rapt attention every movement she made and every piece of food she took to her mouth.

"She and Tyler finally broke up, and don't get me wrong I love her and wish her all the happiness in the world but that man wasn't going to give it to her, he's been awful to her since…forever and no matter how much I tried to tell her that she never listened and it's sooo good to finally see her moving on" She stopped and stared at him with a half-smile "I do tend to talk too much sometimes"

"I like hearing you talk" He answered and color tinted her cheeks as she looked down at her plate "I want to make you a proposition"

"About what?" Elena asked with a frown

"There's a charity ball coming where I have to donate something that belongs to me. I want you to sell me one of your paintings so I can donate it"

"What?" Elena asked, the surprise evident in her voice "Why would you want that?"

"Because I think it will be a wonderful way for people to know your work" Elena stared at him completely speechless "What do you think?"

"Damon I- you don't have to do that"

"I know but I want to, I want to be able to do something for you Elena" His face softened and his eyes shinned with emotion. Elena felt sucker punched as she stared at the enigma that was Damon Salvatore

"Thank you Damon, but I won't sell it to you. It'll be a gift" She smiled "I'll show you some of the ones Caroline let me store in her apartment and you can choose the one you like the most"

"Thank you Elena" He cleared his throat "I also want you to be my date for that night"

"What?"

If him asking her for a painting was unexpected this was even more surprising, if Damon wanted her to go to a public event with him that meant this thing they had together did mean something to him.

"Come with me" He leaned across the counter and took her hands between his "Elena, I have no idea what is happening between us and I'm not sure I can promise you something right now but I- I can't ignore what I'm feeling"

Elena closed and opened her mouth a couple of times with a frozen expression on her face. His heart started to race and a chill went through his whole body at the thought that she might not want the same thing, that he had made a mistake while reading the signs and now was ruining everything.

"Okay"

"Okay?"

"Yes, Okay. I'll go with you. And we'll see what the hell is this thing between us" She gave him a nervous smile and he almost sighed with relief.

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds and then resumed their talk. Their laughter and voices filing the silence in the dead hours of the morning.

They went their separates way at four am, with racing hearts and smiles on their lips.

* * *

 **A review? Pretty please**


	9. Young love

**Hello there!**

 **Thanks to all who is reading this, I really hope you're liking this story and that you enjoy this chapter. My muse is back and I've been working really hard on this story. Huge thanks to Lorena for being my beta for this.**

 **Now please,**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

There she goes in front of me  
Take my life and set me free again  
We'll make a memory out of it

We finally fall apart and we break each other's hearts  
If we wanna live young love we better start today

 **Not today**

 **.**

A dark summer night stared at him from the canvas, stars twinkled in the sky and the moon reflected on the lake. A couple sat on the porch stairs, his arms around the woman as they looked with loving eyes towards the four young people playing in the lake shore. Fireflies danced in the dark night and a little blonde girl chased them with a bottle.

"It's breathtaking" Damon murmured as he continued admiring the work on the canvas. The painting evoked something deep inside him, a longing and nostalgia he hadn't felt in a while

"You really think so?" Elena asked in a hopeful voice. It really meant a lot to her that he thought her work was actually good. "It's a little lake house my parents own near Mystic Falls" She whispered

Damon moved his head and stared at her with amazement in his eyes before returning his stare towards the painting "We used to go during the summer and mom would always let Matt Caroline tag along" She explained

He continued to stare at the picture before him with wonder, his eyes moving towards the brunette girl with her long hair blowing behind her. Elena Gilbert had an amazing way of surprising him.

"It's incredible, Elena" He told her, finally tearing his attention away from the painting "It's such a shame I have to get rid of it" He shook his head " I almost wish I didn't… but it is for a good cause" He moved towards his desk and pulled a little check book out of his drawer "Now, tell me. How much is it?"

"Oh God no" Elena stared at him in horror "I'm not charging you, like you said, it's for a good cause"

Damon smiled slightly "Yes but it has to be something I own. And this is your work, you have to get paid for your work"

"And maybe I will someday but not today. Like I mentioned before, I can't charge you for this, and it is yours. It's a gift" She smiled triumphantly and saw his eyes flash with mischief.

"I insist"

"Nope, it's a gift and that's final"

He smirked and moved closer to her, Elena felt her pulse starting to race and her body slightly trembling at his proximity "You are something else Elena, you aren't like anyone else I've met before" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and heard the faint catch of her breath "What are you doing to me?" He whispered

"I could ask you the same question" She answered as her eyes moved lower towards his lips. They looked so soft and just the memory of the feel of them against hers was enough to make her body tremble with delight.

He moved forward and brushed their noses together, his lips slightly parted. His minty breath caressed her face and she closed her eyes at the feeling. "Damon" She murmured and he groaned, his mouth moving towards her cheek and placing a soft kiss there

"You make me feel so out of control" He admitted before dipping his head and latching his lips onto her neck.

Elena sucked in a breath and clutched his hair with her right hand as she gripped his bicep with the other. His arms sneaked around her waist and kept her in place as she moaned at the sensation of his lips on her skin.

"Damon…" She whispered as he moved his kisses towards her collarbone. There was no doubt that this man would be the death of her and she would gladly give herself to such a fate right now if it was in his arms.

One of the hands at her waist skimmed lower and pressed softly on her butt, forcing her forward so she could be in complete contact with his erection, her mouth opened in a silent moan and she threw her head back as Damon kissed her breasts through the fabric of her dress.

A knock on the door made them spring apart "Shit" Damon muttered as he fixed his hair and walked behind his desk so he could hide the massive hard on he was sporting.

"Damon?" Elena stared at the door feeling mortified as Bonnie's voice came through the door and prayed to God that the young woman couldn't see her flushed cheeks or imagine what was happening behind the closed door.

Damon looked at Elena to reassure himself that she was already composed and licked his lips when he saw the beautiful flush covering her cheeks and neck. He lifted an eye brow as if to ask if she was ready and she nodded in response.

"Come in" Damon spoke and Bonnie walked in

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were alone" She told them while giving Damon an apologetic look. Elena looked at the floor, full of embarrassment, because she was almost sure that Bonnie knew exactly what they were doing.

"No, it's okay" He said in a clipped tone

"It's just that Mr. Rowland is already here, you know for the meeting" She explained and Damon cursed softly. "You totally forgot right?"

"Yeah I did" He muttered "But that's okay, I'll see him in a moment"

"And I think I should go" Elena offered shyly without meeting his eyes

"Of course, of course" He said and stared at her, forcing her to meet his eyes but when she didn't he just sighed and stared at the different papers scattered around his desk.

"Is this yours Elena?" Bonnie asked "I've heard you like to paint but I didn't know you were this good" Elena gave the other woman a timid smile and nodded. All of that occurred while her head continued to spin with the knowledge that Damon had talked to his friends about her.

"I gave it to Mr. Salvatore as a gift, for the auction"

"Oh it's such a shame this has to go somewhere else"

"I said the same" Damon said and smiled when Elena finally met his eyes.

"Well I'll better get going" Elena headed towards the door "I'll see you later Mr. Salvatore" She said before disappearing through the door and Damon groaned mentally as he impossibly got even harder. He honestly couldn't wait anymore to have that delightful woman under him… or above him, it really didn't matter.

"You have it bad" Bonnie told him, a teasing tone in her voice and mirth in her eyes

"Oh shut up" Damon muttered with a smile gracing his lips, he honestly couldn't think about his current nanny and not smile.

"I think maybe for the first time Enzo is actually going to beat me on a bet" She said and Damon ignored her comment entirely.

"Please send Mr. Rowland in" He told his assistant with a grin on his lips, his face almost splitting in two.

"You do have it bad" Bonnie joked before heading towards the door.

He couldn't deny that his friend was right, he had it bad for Elena Gilbert and he was not going to do anything to change that. He had suffered a rough couple of years and finally deserved some happiness, and right at this moment nothing made him feel happier than that brunette girl with the doe eyes.

* * *

Elena walked hand in hand with the elder Salvatore girl, picked up Briar from Ballet lessons and agreed to meet Stefan and Violet in the mall to have an early dinner. Briar had been silent the whole ride to the mall and had been acting a bit strange since she arrived from school so Elena looked at her with a frown trying to think what could be troubling the younger girl

"Briar Rose, are you all right?" Elena asked as they stopped on a bench so they could wait for Stefan's text telling them where he was. "You've been silent all afternoon"

"Are you going to leave us?" The little girl asked softly

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked as they both sat, Briar's legs dangling in the air.

"Nancy said you'll leave"

"And who is Nancy?" Elena asked with a frown and placed her hand under the girl's chin, forcing her head to the side so she could meet her eyes.

"A girl in my school"

"And why does Nancy think that"

Briar looked down once again and started fidgeting with the hem of her blue dress "We had to make a drawing about our favorite person in the whole world and talk about why we loved them so much…. I chose you"

Elena felt her throat closing with emotion as the words left the girl's mouth, it almost made her want to cry. Who would have thought that she would end up loving her job so much?

"And afterwards Nancy said that it was stupid that I chose you, because you are only my nanny and one day you'll leave" Briar chocked up on the last few words and Elena knew she was about to cry so she gathered her in her arms.

"You don't listen to anything that horrible girl has to say okay?" She whispered softly into the girl's hair. Sometimes she wondered how little kids could be so mean to each other "I'm not going anywhere"

"But one day you will, and you'll get married and have children" Briar said "Why can't you stay with us forever? Don't you want to marry my daddy?" She looked up and stared at Elena with big sad eyes.

"Things aren't as simple as that Briar Rose" Elena answered and wiped the few tears the girl had shed "But even if one day I stop working for your father it won't mean I'll stop caring about you or visiting you"

"You promise?"

"Of course, you me and Violet, we're friends now" She said with a small smile and pressed her forehead against Briar's "And friends don't abandon friends"

Briar gave Elena a kiss on the cheek and then hugged her tightly "I love you so much Elena" She murmured

"I love you too darling"

Elena's phone chirped and she pulled out to find a text from Stefan "Look who it is!" She told the girl "Come on, let's get some food in us" Elena smiled down at the girl who returned her smile with new found happiness.

They stood up and continued their path together, Briar's little hand gripping Elena's tightly.

* * *

Damon stood in front of the big window leading to the garden and watched as they climbed out of the car, the four of them laughing. It had been so long since he had seen his girls be this happy, Elena had arrived into his house and had changed everything, made it brighter; he couldn't imagine a day in his life where she wasn't present anymore.

A strange and nasty feeling formed inside him when he saw the way she smiled at his brother. He knew Stefan had no intention of persuading her and that she had no feelings other than friendship towards his brother but still he couldn't stop the irrational part of his brain that told him that Stefan would be a better match for her. After all, Stefan didn't carry all the emotional baggage he had on his back, Damon hated that part of his brain.

"Honey we're home!" Stefan shouted once the door was opened and Damon could hear the girlish giggles that followed his comment

"Daddy!" Violet ran towards him the minute she spotted him and he picked her up into his arms "Uncle Stefan bought us chocolate cake" She beamed. Damon gave his brother an annoyed look, giving Violet chocolate at night only meant that she would be awake for hours before finally going to bed.

"I couldn't fight her charms, I truly couldn't" Stefan said with an apologetic look as he raised his hands in the air in front of him

"Don't worry" Elena said with a small smile "I didn't let her have too much so I think she'll be fine"

God, only the sound of her voice could make him want to devour her. He smiled back at her as Stefan rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face "Come on girls, I'll put you to bed, your daddy has things to discuss with Miss Elena"

It amazed Damon sometimes how Stefan could be so attuned to his emotions; Damon kissed the girls and promised to go to them in a while. As Stefan walked away he turned around and mouthed an obscenity before giving him a thumbs up. Damon ignored him and focused his entire attention on the girl in front of him.

"You had fun with Stefan?" He asked

"Yes, we all had fun"

"He's good looking right? My brother? He's also fun" He said almost nonchalantly and Elena suppressed a laugh at his attitude

"Is there anything you want to ask me Damon?" She said with a quirked eye brow and a smile on her lips.

"No, no" He laughed under his breath and shook his head. He truly was making a fool of himself tonight, he thought bitterly "But I did want to speak with you"

"What is it that you want Damon?" Elena asked in a timid voice

"You, I want you Elena"

She stared at him with her mouth open, her face showing clear shock at his bold words but he couldn't regret them. "I want us to be together"

"I… I don't know what to say" She said breathlessly "I mean… I think it's more than obvious that I want you too but… would it be wise?" She asked recalling her earlier conversation with Briar, if things didn't work out between them she didn't want her relationship with the girls to go sour.

"Maybe not" He said shrugging "I would be lying to you if I told you that I know what I'm doing because I'm not but I really want to give us a chance" He walked towards her and Elena felt her pulse racing "It's been so long since I've felt this happy Elena"

The strain in his voice and the hurt look in his eyes broke her heart into a million pieces, she knew he probably suffered a lot after his wife's death and to imagine this wonderful man being so alone made her heart ache "With your arrival at the house it's like a whole new world I didn't know of opened itself in front of me… you bring so much color into this house and I'm tired of living among gray things"

He heard the catch in her breath when he stroked his hand down her cheek, her eyes closing involuntarily and her body leaning into his "Say yes Elena, I know we can make this work"

She wanted to say yes, she wanted to more than anything in the world. She understood what he was saying; she had been living among dark things for so long too. A part of her always wished for something like the love her mother and Ric shared but she had never imagined that it would be possible, especially with a man like Damon... with Damon she knew she had a real chance at getting it.

"I have one condition" She murmured and opened her eyes, finding those dark blue pools staring back at her with an intensity that made her weak in the knees

"Anything" He answered

"Can we keep this a secret?" She asked "Not forever… but just for the time being… I don't want the girls to get their hopes up if…"

"If…" He murmured as he dropped his forehead into hers. It wasn't ideal, the non-rational part of him wanted to go all caveman on her and shout to the whole world that she was his but he also understood where she was coming from. Just yesterday night Briar had asked him if he would like to marry Elena. It would be unfair to give the girls hope if there was even a small chance that things wouldn't work out in the end "All right"

"Really?"

"If it's what you want"

Elena beamed at him and he smiled back before dipping his head and pressing his lips onto hers. She closed her eyes and moved closer, lacing her fingers behind his neck and pressing her body closer to his.

They kissed for what it felt like hours, just the two of them in the parlor as the night's light entered swiftly through the windows. They would probably need to be more careful if they wanted to keep it a secret but at the moment all thoughts left their minds as their lips found each other again and again. Hands touching, discovering each other's quirks, breathing in each other and enjoying the newfound happiness of finally being together.

* * *

 **Review please?**


	10. I get to love you

Hey there,

 _I'm so sorry for taking so long but i've a little bit busy lately._

 _I am devastated by the news of season eight being the last, I mean we all knew it was coming but a part of me was still on denial and after that heart breaking goodbye video now everything feels so real, I can't believe we will only get 16 episodes and that we're finally saying goodbye to this show, I've watched it since I was fifteen and I honestly feel terrible._

 _Anway, enough with my rambling. I really hope you like the new chapter and well I added Valerie as Stefan's love interest even when I know not everyone like her but the thing is I wanted Caroline and Klaus for this one and even if at the beggining I hated Valerie, she grew on me with time and that scene where she and Stefan said goodbye completelly broke me and made me apreaciate her more._

 _Thanks to my awsome beta and to everyone reading_

 _Love you!_

* * *

One look at you; my whole life falls in line.  
I prayed for you; before I called you mine.  
I can't believe it's true, sometimes.  
I can't believe it's true.  
I get to love you, it's the best thing that I'll ever do.  
I get to love you, it's a promise I'm making to you.

 **I get to love you**

 **.**

Her hands gripped the counter behind her as he trailed kisses all over her exposed throat, one of his calloused hands was lost underneath her Victoria Secret's camisole and gripped her breast in the most delicious of ways. Her own hands were running through his soft hair, mussing it, getting lost on the feel of him.

"Oh Damon" She half whispered as he pressed closer to her, his erection digging into her hip. Suddenly she wanted her tiny pajama shorts to be gone so her skin could feel completely what was Damon Salvatore.

His lips trailed upwards once again and found hers, the wet sound of their kisses the only thing that could be heard in the dark kitchen "We probably shouldn't be doing this here" He whispered between kisses

"We probably shouldn't" She answered as her hands moved from his hair to the tough muscles of his back, stroking everywhere she could underneath his shirt.

"Then you should stop me" He answered and she could feel him smirking against her mouth as he took her by the rear and lifted her onto the counter. He moved between her open legs and rested his head against her chest, pressing a kiss onto her breast.

"I think we suck at keeping this a secret" She said with a small smile as he nuzzled his face against her chest, their breathing coming back to normal and his pants still incredibly tight with his desire for her.

"We probably should be more careful" He answered and almost purred when he felt her petting his hair.

They had met in the kitchen like they'd done every night since she started working for him, they had expected to talk like they used to do but instead the moment their eyes landed on each other the fire between them started burning up and they weren't able to stop it, it had been a battle of teeth, lips and skin.

"But apparently I can't control myself once you enter a room" He said as he moved and lifted his head to smile at her "You are driving me crazy" She didn't answer, only smiled as he walked away, moving towards the refrigerator.

In a way Elena felt like a spectator in this part of her life, she couldn't quite believe this was happening to her. Elena Gilbert, the quiet girl from Virginia was actually having a relationship with her boss, a wonderful man who had two daughters, was a widow and also the hottest man she had ever laid eyes on. Her fifteen year old self would never believe something like that could happen to her.

"I feel kind of bad lying to the girls" He told her as he placed a pint of ice cream next to her on the counter and pulled out a chair to sit on it "Just this morning Violet asked me if I thought you were pretty"

Elena laughed quietly "They are something else right? There's nothing like the innocence of a child. I think they might have their own plan though, they told me today that you give the best hugs in the whole world"

Damon threw his head back and laughed and Elena almost licked her lips at the way the muscles in his neck stretched "They couldn't be more obvious right?" He handed her a spoon and took hold of her legs so that her feet were resting against his lap

"They've been going at it for days" Elena answered as she dug her spoon into the ice cream and tried to ignore the feel of his cool breath against the skin of her knees. "Violet even told me and I'm quoting 'Why do you and uncle Stefan talk so much? My daddy's hugs are better' so I think they're being pretty obvious"

"And they are also right you know" He traced his hand all over her leg and she threw her head back and closed her eyes "Stefan's hugs are nowhere near good as mine" He kissed her knee and then dropped back onto his chair "But you know what? I don't think you should test that theory"

Her eyes opened and she lifted an eye brow while looking at him "Jealous Mr. Salvatore?" He took the ice cream from her hands and dug in his own spoon while avoiding eye contact with her

"I know it's stupid but I don't like seeing you with him" He shook his head as he put the spoon in his mouth

"You do know I have no feelings towards your brother right? Other than friendship"

"I do know, and that's why it's so stupid but… God Elena you make me feel so out of control. I have this primal need inside of me to keep you out of other's men gazes forever" He expected for her to be angry and tell him he had no right over her but instead she laughed, a beautiful sound that filled his ears.

"You do sound a bit crazy" She admitted

He smirked "Told you, I'm hopeless" His face turned serious "It's just… it's been a while since I've felt this way for someone, I hadn't been in a relationship since…"

"Since your wife" She finished the sentence for him. He nodded and avoided looking at her once again "What happened to her Damon?" She asked in a soft voice

"Car crash...Violet doesn't even remember her" He asked with an edge of sadness. He didn't know what saddened him more, the fact that his little girl would never know her mother or the fact that a huge part of him thought it was better that way.

"I'm sorry" She leaned down and placed a hand on his cheek, he nuzzled into her palm with his eyes closed.

"It's all right, it's been a while" He said truthfully and Elena hated the part of herself that felt jealous over a dead woman. Over what she and Damon had shared. "But my point Is that I'm not sure how to be in a relationship anymore" And truth be told he never felt that out of control as he felt when he was with her "I want to lock you up in this house and never let you leave, and I'm completely sure that's not normal behavior"

Elena threw her head back and laughed "No it isn't. But we can work on that" His lips broke in a grin and it sent a warm feeling towards her chest. There was nothing more beautiful than Damon's smile.

He gripped her feet and smiled at her "Thank you" His blue eyes shinned as they looked at her. "I wanted to talk you about something"

"Shoot"

"You know the gala is this weekend and I asked you to be my date for the event" Damon knew Bonnie, Stefan and Enzo would never leave him in peace when they found out he was taking Elena and he honestly didn't know how that fit with their whole secretive relationship but in the end it was her painting that was going to be for auction so it made sense for her to be there.

"Yes, I remember" She half smiled as she moved her feet in his lap, Damon closed his eyes and groaned.

"You know you are making this really hard for me" He said while forcing her feet to stop moving "Here I am trying to be decent and have a civilized conversation and you are trying to wake up the beast"

"The beast?" Elena asked with a chuckle

"The beast" Damon said while doing that eye thing that drove her mad "Now behave, Miss Gilbert" He said trying to appear serious but failing miserably.

"I'll be a good girl, Mr. Salvatore" Elena grinned when she heard the low rumble coming out of his chest

"You are going to be the death of me, Elena Gilbert" He said while shaking his head "But as I was saying about the Gala, I want to make you a present"

"No"

"Excuse me?"

"I said no"

"You don't even know what I'm going to say"

"I have a pretty good idea what are you going to say"

"And what is that Miss Gilbert?" He asked with a raised eye brow before taking a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"You want to buy me another dress" She told him

"I-"

"The answer is no, Damon. I don't wanna feel like your Barbie Doll. You buying me clothes… It makes me feel uncomfortable" She shrugged, avoiding the look in his eyes

"But why Elena? I'm not trying to turn you into anything nor make a show of my power" He leaned into her and pressed the side of his face against her leg, the hint of stubble on his face rasping deliciously against the softness of her skin. "It's just… it's the way I was raised. You can say I'm a spoiled ass and you know what, maybe I am, but I've been wealthy my entire life and unlike other people I don't hold back when it's time to spend it on the people I care about"

"Damon…"

"No, you may think it's sad or something like that but it's one of the few ways I have to show people that I care about them. Things always make people happy" Why couldn't she understand that he wanted to give her the world? He had the means to do it so why not spend all he had in making her happy.

"Oh Damon" Elena looked at him with tenderness and leaned down to cup his face in her hands "You have so many ways to show people you love them. The way you hug and kiss your girls? The way you make sure to make them breakfast yourself on Sundays or the affectionate pat on the back you give to Stefan every time you see him? The way you are with your staff and auctioning my painting because you want people to know about me. Those are things that show that you care"

"Elena..." He whispered unable to say anything else, something had clogged down in his throat and refused to let him speak.

"I don't need you to buy me things for me to know that you care, the girls don't need it either nor Stefan" She told him "And you definitely don't need it for me to care about you"

Elena moved herself out of the stool and onto his lap, he placed her legs securely around his hips and pressed their foreheads together "You are so different… so different from all the other woman I've ever met"

There was an edge of sadness in his words and Elena wanted nothing more than to know who had broken this man's heart. Damon looked so strong and imposing. A force of nature… and in a way he was but there was something deep down inside of him, something that was broken and she wanted to fix it, to put it back together.

"You are something else as well, Mr. Salvatore" Elena told him before kissing his nose and moving her head so it rested in the crook of his neck.

He held her and traced patterns across her back and listened to her soft breaths, he could feel her heart beating next to his chest and relished in the feeling of it, in the quietness of the moment and the sincerity only night could give. They stayed like that for what felt like hours until their eyes grew heavy with sleep and they had no option but to go to bed.

* * *

Elena laughed out loud, almost spitting out her drink because of the joke the youngest Salvatore told her. It was a bright Friday morning and Damon had taken the day off to spend it with the girls. Briar had skipped school and the three of them had headed to the zoo, Elena thought a part of him felt too guilty to be hiding things from the girls. They had invited her to come but she felt like it was something they should do just the three of them together. Instead she had agreed to go with Stefan to have lunch and then meet Caroline in the mall so she could help her pick out a dress for Saturday night.

"So are you bringing someone tomorrow night?" Elena asked a few minutes later. She saw the way Stefan got uncomfortable at the question and decided to push things a bit "Is something wrong?"

"No, well… it's just, the girl hosting the ball… we kind of have history" He told her quietly and Elena imagined it was quite the history for the way he was talking.

"So you don't want to bring anyone to not make her uncomfortable?"

"No, I actually think she doesn't care at all anymore" He said with a sad smile and Elena's heart broke for him. She reached across the table and took his hand between hers

"What's her name?"

"Valerie" He whispered

"And what happened?"

Stefan let out a sardonic laugh and took a sip of his drink "Oh my dear Elena, I think we might need a more strong drink for that story and I don't think right now is the right time" He leaned back on his chair and Elena could almost see the physical walls closing around him.

In the small amount of time she had working in the Salvatore house she had learned that both brothers hated to appear vulnerable in front of others. Damon was hostile and hid everything behind a mask of seriousness and Stefan was all happiness and smiles but both shields worked the same way, they kept people from seeing who they really were.

"You have my brother eating out of your palm" Stefan told her after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Elena asked while looking anywhere but his eyes

"Oh please don't take me as a fool Elena, I can totally see what's happening between my brother and you"

Elena let out a sigh and stared into his eyes "You can't say anything Stefan… we want to keep it a secret in case it doesn't work out" Part of her felt bad for breaking her promise to Damon but the other part felt relieved to have someone other than Caroline to know the truth, someone who also knew Damon.

"Don't worry about that sweetheart, not a word from me" He simulated zipping his mouth and Elena couldn't help laugh at the childish action. "But I am truly glad that you are trying this, you are good for him Elena"

"You think?"

"Of course, I'm glad he finally has a good nice woman with him. Katherine was such a bitch"

"Stefan! Don't bad mouth death people" Elena admonished him in a hushed tone

"She won't mind" Stefan said with a cynical smirk on his face before sipping his drink "And I'm not saying anything but the truth, she was a terrible woman"

"That much?" Elena asked, more than a little intrigued in the true story of Damon's wife.

"Yeah, I don't know how much Damon has told you about her" How about nothing? Elena thought to herself, other than the fact that she died on a car crash Damon had mentioned zero words about the woman. "… but they had split when the accident happened"

"What?" Elena asked, the surprise evident on her face. Caroline had investigated everything about the Salvatore's and they never read anything that mentioned something about a separation. "I didn't know that"

"Katherine had been cheating on Damon for years" Stefan said with a sad expression "Everyone tried to tell him about it but he couldn't see it, he was blinded by her and her act. And those girls… those girls were my brother's life and the fact that she was their mother made her perfect in his eyes. But after a while he finally paid attention and realized he was living in a dream, that Katherine was a whore and the worst mother possible. I swear to you Elena that those girls have absolutely no good memories of her mother… they were perfect and she never took care of them" The rage on Stefan's face made Elena realize how much he truly cared about his family

"And then she died" She said in a whisper

"Yeah" Stefan said, not meeting her eyes "then she died"

Their conversation took a lighter tone after that, they went back to laughing and joking about Saturday's event. Stefan suggested to Elena topics to talk about and promised to protect her from the stuck up bitches who surely would try to take Damon away from her and she promised to protect him from Valerie and all the demons he carried around him.

There was no doubt now that this family had snuck up on her and was taking residence in her heart. She loved the Salvatore family and she hoped to be around them for a long time.

* * *

"Elena are you going to keep ignoring me for the rest of the day?" Caroline Forbes whined as her friend ran her hands down a deep green silk dress she was holding in front of her "I already said I was sorry"

"You know you just broke best friends code right?" Elena asked with a raised eye brow as she placed the dress in the rack again.

"Oh come on, it wasn't a big deal"

Elena gasped at her friend "You just told me you're going to the same ball I am, except you are going with the hot brit, who turns out you've been talking since two weeks ago!" Caroline winced at Elena's words "Who you never told me you met again"

"It was an accident, we met in Matt's house by accident and then one thing led to the other" The blonde girl said as Elena gave her an angry glance and headed towards the entrance of the store, Caroline could see a smile forming on her friend's lips so she knew she was already forgiven. "I'm sorry" She said lacing her arm with her friend's "I promise the next time there's a new development in my love life I will tell you everything, I just didn't want to say anything in case there was nothing between us"

"But there is?" Elena asked

"I really like him Lena" The blonde girl answered, the happiness was evident on her voice and Elena felt a warm feeling in her chest, it had been so long since she had heard Caroline being this happy. "He's a gentleman and he always treats me so nice. And I know that I shouldn't be diving into something new when it's been so little since my break up with Tyler but… I don't know it just feels right with him"

Elena smiled at her friend and leaned her head into hers as they walked through the halls of the mall "I'm glad you're happy again, Caroline, it's been a while since you've smiled like this and it makes me so incredibly blissful to see you this excited over a guy" The blonde girl smiled at her friend "And don't worry about the timing, who cares if your break up is recent, look at Taylor Swift" Both girls laughed at this and continued walking in silence for a few minutes until they found a new dress shop

"I've never been here before" Caroline murmured before entering.

For the next few hours the two best friends tried different kinds of dresses, they spent the afternoon among laughter and jokes. With every passing minute the girl's excitement over Saturday night grew, Caroline couldn't wait to see Klaus again and to finally see Elena interact with Damon, she had only seen the Salvatore man a few times in the past and she was dying to get her eyes on him once again.

"God I'm not sure I'll fit into this thing" Elena said from the dressing room while Caroline waited for her sitting in a pink fluffy chair.

"Of course you will" Her friend answered. The blonde girl had decided on a white Greek styled dress made of a fabric so soft that it literally looked like she was walking on air while using it. "So, what are you plans for tomorrow night?" The blonde girl asked casually

"What do you mean? you know what my plans are" Elena answered

"You know what I'm trying to say" Caroline told her and when she received nothing more than silence from her friend she shrieked "I knew it! You are so planning on sleeping with him!"

"Caroline, hush!"

"There's no one else in here silly" The blonde girl said while looking around the empty store. "So, are you going to sleep with him?" Caroline asked in a whisper now, making Elena laugh from the other side of the door

"I want to" Elena said "I really want to" She said before opening the door and revealing herself to her friend

"Oh Elena!" Caroline said while staring at her in awe "You look gorgeous"

The brunette girl was wearing a mermaid cut strapless red dress that fit her figure like a glove and made her breasts look fantastic "He is going to love you in that dress, there's no doubt that you are going to end up sleeping with him"

"You think?" She asked a bit unsure as she looked at herself in the mirror

"Of course" The blonde girl beamed

"Then my sweet Caroline, I think this is the dress" Elena said with the biggest smile while her friend clapped her hands and squealed in her seat.

* * *

 **Review?**


	11. This love is ours

**Hey there!**

 **I'm really excited for this chapter because I really want you guys to like it, please when you finish let me know what you think of it. Thank so much for still reading this and keep showing me support.**

 **And thanks to Lorena as always, because without her I couldn't be doing this.**

 ** _Love,_**

 ** _Sam_**

* * *

 _Seems like there's always someone who disapproves  
They'll judge it like they know about me and you  
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do  
The jury's out, but my choice is you  
So don't you worry your pretty little mind  
People throw rocks at things that shine  
And life makes love look hard  
The stakes are high, the water's rough  
But this love is ours_

 **Ours**

 **.**

Elena stared at herself in the full length mirror and took a deep breath. Her eyes were smoky and her wavy hair rested on one side of her neck while a delicate necklace graced her collarbone. To say she was nervous was an understatement, she knew she looked beautiful but she wasn't sure she could compete with the kind of women Damon was used to date, the kind of women who would be there tonight.

Letting out a huff she looked at the clock and gave herself one last pep talk before leaving the room, the girls were already sleeping and Stefan was going to meet them at the ball, he wasn't taking a date so he had joked about being their third wheel, she didn't know if Damon already knew that Stefan knew about them but she hoped he wouldn't be upset about it.

She descended the stairs and found him waiting for her at the bottom, just like he did the night they went to Broadway. Her mouth stretched into a big smile as his gaze roamed her over. Damon was at a loss of words and could do nothing more than stare at her.

"You forgot how to talk Mr. Salvatore?" Elena teased as she reached the bottom of the stairs

He smirked and extended his hand towards her "You would render any man speechless, Miss Gilbert" She took his hand and they laced their fingers together, she looked around briefly to check that no one was watching before leaning forward and pressing their lips together for a brief moment "You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Elena" The words danced against her lips as he murmured them. "Every man would want to be me tonight" He pressed another soft kiss onto her lips and pulled away.

The heat in his blue eyes sent a shiver down Elena's back, there was so much promise in that single look. Nervousness started to creep in on her at the thought of spending the night with him, to finally succumb to the desires that had been consuming her since she laid eyes on him.

"Let's go" He murmured as they started walking towards the door.

Damon was driving tonight and Elena let out a carefree laugh as she watched the car they were taking "Are we seriously going in this?" She asked as she eyed the blue Camaro. "It's so beautiful" She said as he opened the door for her. She imagined Damon would prefer a more somber sophisticated car but instead he was taking her in this classic beauty; that only further proved that there were a million things she still didn't know about Damon Salvatore.

"You should consider yourself lucky" Damon told her once he was behind the steering wheel

"And why is that?" Elena asked

"Not everyone gets the chance to take a ride on my baby" He said with a smirk and she could feel her insides turning into goo at the sight, there was absolutely nothing more beautiful than watching Damon smirk… well maybe watching him without a shirt and doing that eye thing that drove her crazy.

They spent the rest of the ride making small talk, he told her about his day with the girls and she told him about Caroline and about the phone call she received from her mother earlier in the morning. Time flew by and without realizing it they were already at the salon, it was one of the things Damon loved about being with Elena, time didn't seem to exist. It was just them together.

Elena laughed quietly when they stepped out of the car, she had tried to picture this place in her mind all week and it was exactly like she imagined. The place oozed glamour and elegance and it wasn't anything at all like the parties she was used to attending but somehow here in Damon's arm she felt like she belonged.

"Glad you made it" Stefan greeted them when they entered the big hall where Damon told her the auction would be held. Soft music was sounding in the background and a couple of people were dancing on a wide space next to a huge pair of Victorian windows. "I was getting a little bored here by myself"

"Knowing you, you wouldn't be by yourself too long" Damon said and Stefan chuckled at his comment.

"So what do you think so far, Elena?" Stefan asked "Filled with pompous asses right?" Elena almost chocked as she looked around making sure no one had heard Stefan.

Damon chuckled and placed his hand on her lower back, the heat from his touch trespassing the fabric of her dress and making her feel tingles all over her body. "Don't worry, most of them are too busy with themselves to worry about us" He whispered in her ear

Stefan told them they should mingle so they walked around the salon, he introduced her to a few of his acquaintances and it amazed Elena how many people stood to talk with the Salvatore brothers, it was like everyone wanted a piece of them and seeing them in action was something else. She was used to them being laid back and relaxed but here they were something else entirely; they stood taller and controlled the whole place, they had some allure to them that made it almost impossible for people not to be attracted to them.

"Elena!" The voice of Caroline Forbes made Elena turn around to find her walking towards her in the arms of the very much handsome Klaus Michaelson. "I knew you would look amazing but you just blew my mind" The blonde girl said with a smile

"You look mind blowing" Elena told her friend

"Let's just say that both of you look mind blowing" Stefan offered with a grin, reminding the girls that they weren't the only ones involved in the conversation.

"Oh we totally suck at this!" Caroline and Elena both said at the same time and started laughing together. "Okay, I'll go first. Elena, you remember Klaus"

Elena smiled at the British man as he extended his hand to her "How could I forget?" She teased

"Of course, not a very conventional first meeting" He answered with a grin "It's not every day that a man find himself rescuing a damsel in distress" He threw a warm look towards Caroline and Elena bit her lip to contain the excitement, the man was definitely head over heels in love with her friend.

"You're never gonna let me live that one down right?" The blonde joked

"And Caroline, this is Stefan and Damon Salvatore" Elena said, gesturing to the man standing on each side of her. Stefan went first and took Caroline's hand while smiling warmly before shaking Klaus' hand.

"Miss Forbes" Damon said before placing a kiss on Caroline's cheek "I'm glad to see you're doing okay" He said to her before shaking Klaus' hand. The blonde girl grinned suggestively towards Elena who only rolled her eyes and pretended to ignore her.

"Elena, I noticed that one of the items for auction tonight is yours" Klaus brought up once the presentations were over.

"Yes, it's a gift I made for Damon"

"Definitely one of your best"

"Such a shame that it has to go somewhere else" Klaus said

"Exactly what I thought" Damon told him "But it's for a good cause" He smiled down at her and Elena's whole world turned brighter.

"Of course. Elijah was completely fascinated with it" Klaus said gesturing towards the man he was referring to. Elena hadn't realized he was here but now that his brother had pointed him out she could see him standing next to a very beautiful but scowling blonde. "We truly can't wait to see what you'll have for our gallery"

Elena nodded at him with a smile "Hopefully you won't be disappointed" She told him and felt Damon tightening the hold on her waist. Elena knew that the mention of Elijah had unnerved him because of the silly notion that the man wanted something with her.

The conversation moved to lighter subjects and after a few minutes the scowling blonde came to retrieve Klaus who apologized for her behavior and promised to be back in minutes. He left before kissing Caroline's hand and giving her the most adoring smile ever.

"It's his sister" Caroline said once he was gone "And she's a total bitch"

"Oh yeah, Rebekah Michaelson" Stefan said while raising his champagne glass to his lips "Her reputation definitely precedes her, she's a total babe"

Damon rolled his eyes at his brother "You would think that"

Any smart remark Stefan might have had for his brother died on his lips when his eyes landed on Valerie walking hand in hand with a dark blonde tall guy. Elena knew it was her because Damon murmured it gently into her ear once he saw the expression on his brother's face. Elena had to admit that the girl was beautiful but that wasn't really important if she had been capable of breaking the heart of someone as sweet as Stefan.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked with a clueless expression on her face.

 _You can always depend on Caroline to make an awkward moment obvious,_ Elena thought to herself with a smile on her lips.

"That's my ex" Stefan said after downing his whole glass and handing it to a passing waiter "With her new boyfriend"

Caroline turned around and eyed the girl "The one with the black dress?" She asked

"Yeap"

"Ugh her dress is awful" She commented and Damon almost chocked on his drink trying not to laugh. Just in that moment Valerie looked around and her eyes found Stefan's "Okay this is making me feel depressed" Caroline muttered and took Stefan's hand

"What are you doing?" He asked while dragging his eyes away from his ex.

"I'm ending this crap, either you can stay here and ogle her with sad puppy eyes while she's with someone else or you and I can go and have fun while my date is with his bitch sister from hell" The blonde girl dragged Stefan onto the dance floor where the music had changed into a more upbeat tune.

Elena and Damon stared at them with their mouths agape and shock on their faces "She definitely is something else" Damon muttered "Are you sure it's a good idea she's the one teaching my daughter?"

"Oh shut up" Elena gave him a playful jab on the ribs "She's the best teacher Briar could have"

"If you say so"

"Besides, she did make Stefan stop brooding" She told him as they watched the couple dancing animatedly on the dance floor. Elena's eyes found Valerie once again and saw pain reflected in her eyes as she watched Stefan with Caroline. Elena felt sympathy for her, maybe the woman was as in love with Stefan as he still was with her.

* * *

The night had been everything Elena had expected and more, she had been incredibly nervous to be out of her comfort zone but had ended up having a really nice time next to Damon, Stefan, Caroline and Klaus. And the fact that her painting ended up selling in what she thought was an obscene amount of money only made the night better.

"I mean I still can't believe someone would pay that much money for something I made" Elena exclaimed giddily as they waited for the valet to bring the car to them. Stefan had retired moments ago with a red headed woman.

"I told you you're talented" Damon said with a smile, his heart soaring at seeing the childish excitement on Elena's face.

"But still, I mean who could have loved it that much?" She asked

"Elijah did" Klaus said as he approached the couple. Elena stared at him with surprise as Caroline gave her an apologetic smile. "He was the one who bought the painting" He explained. "I think he plans to keep it in his home or maybe the exhibit but I imagine he would contact you first if that was the case"

"Of course" Elena nodded with a small smile as she felt Damon tensing and could almost hear the sound of his jaw clenching. Luckily their car arrived at that moment, saving them from a very uncomfortable moment.

They said their goodbyes and climbed into the car. The minute they were inside she murmured his name softly "Damon…" She could see the way his fingers were gripping the steering wheel, his whole posture emanated dislike.

"I know you are incredibly talented, love, and anyone would want to purchase your work but you cannot tell me he doesn't want something with you" He stated as he looked at her briefly.

"I don't really think he does, he just really likes his work"

"Of course he does" He laughed sardonically and Elena hated the sound. Tonight had been wonderful and she didn't want it to end this way, it wasn't supposed to end this way.

"Damon…" She leaned towards him and placed a soft kiss onto his cheek "Even if he did, I don't have any kind of feelings towards him. I only want you" She nuzzled her nose against his cheek and felt him relax instantly "I don't want tonight to finish like this"

"I'm sorry" he said while shaking his head. His eyes were fixated on the road but he placed his right hand on her lap "I'm acting like a caveman with you, aren't I? Please forgive me"

"There's nothing to forgive" She whispered and rested her head against his shoulder as she stared at the road ahead and the dark night. They spent the rest of the drive in complete silence and once they arrived at the house she mustered the courage to say the words she had been thinking the whole day "I want us to be together tonight Damon"

He must have understood what her words meant because he swallowed deeply and a light blush coated his cheeks "You sure?" He asked as he looked straight into her eyes.

"Yes" She answered in a bare whisper.

They walked hand in hand towards the house and headed straight into his room. Elena had never been in it but it had turned out to be exactly like she imagined it, not that she imagined it a lot. It was decorated in cream colors and the dim light made it look incredibly cozy, it was huge but had very few things, a dresser, a comfy couch, a TV attached to the wall and the biggest bed Elena had ever seen.

She swallowed deeply while looking at it and seconds later she felt Damon's body behind her, his head dropped to her neck and started planting butterfly kisses there. She threw her head back as he trapped her inside his embrace, his hand now resting on her belly.

"I've wanted this since the second I laid eyes on you Elena" He murmured against the skin of her neck "You have no idea how hard it's been for me not to take you and throw you onto my bed" His hands moved towards her chest and cupped her breast through the fabric. "Or take you right there in the kitchen… I've wanted you for so long" He stepped away from her and Elena felt the loss instantly.

Her eyes opened and she was about to ask what he was doing when she felt his fingers at the top of her back, gently lowering the zipper holding her dress together. She shuddered as the fabric opened slowly and his hands started tracing the skin on her back "Perfect" She thought he murmured but she couldn't be sure. Her mind had completely shut down and the only thing she could do was embrace the feel of his fingers on her skin and the scent of his aftershave that invaded her senses.

"Damon" She whispered as the dress dropped onto the floor, leaving her in her tiny black thong and matching strapless dress. It had been a long time since she had sex and a part of her knew she should be vulnerable, standing like this in front of him but somehow she didn't. She felt sexy, desired, she felt like she never felt before.

Damon gripped her hips and made her turn around, his eyes tracing every inch of her exposed skin slowly. Elena's hands moved towards his collar, untying his tie and he watched mesmerized as she undressed him slowly, his skin burning with every button she touched and once his chest was completely exposed her hands roamed over it and he wanted to cry at the feeling. He had never been so turned on in his whole life.

"Tell me you want me" His husky voice whispered and a small smile tugged at her lips "Tell me" He repeated as he leaned down to kiss her collarbone. His hands moving to her back in order to unclasp her bra "Elena…"

"I want you" She told him "I truly want you Damon" The bra felt to the floor and his mouth instantly latched onto one of her breasts, she gasped and threw her head back as he worshiped her with his mouth.

"Damon…" She whispered as his hand moved from her back towards her thong, his fingers tugging at the sides and lowering it, she stepped out of it as he abandoned her chest and looked at her completely naked for the first time.

"I never want to forget this moment" He told her. The dim light of the lamps casted a glow all over her olive skin and Damon swore he'd never seen something more beautiful than her in that moment. He didn't know what good he did to have her in his life but in that moment he promised that he would never let her walk away from his life. "You are perfect"

He pressed her body to his and she gasped at the feeling of her breasts against his naked chest and her most private part against the fabric of his dress pants. Elena was burning up, the pressure between her legs almost unbearable and she needed to relieve it more than anything in the world. Damon walked them to the bed and urged her to climb on it while he removed his pants.

Elena bit her lip and watched in fascination as he dropped his briefs on the floor. She never thought that a man's private parts were pretty or particularly appealing but in that moment there was nothing more beautiful in the world for her than Damon's cock. "Fuck" She murmured absently as she watched him climb onto the bed, he was fully erect now and her insides were clenching just by the thought of feeling him inside her.

He grinned wickedly and leaned down to devour her mouth, his cock rubbing against her leg and leaving a trail of pre cum there. Elena gripped his biceps and moved her legs so she could trap him between them, she needed some kind of release or she would surely combust "Someone's a little eager," He whispered against her mouth

"Damon I need…"

"I know what you need" He answered as he moved his hand between her legs and moved his fingers where she needed him the most

"Oh fuck" She said as she threw her head back, exposing her chest to his hungry mouth. He latched onto one of her nipples as his fingers worked magic between her legs. Her wetness was soaking his hand, Elena had wanted this for so long, the feel of his mouth on her breast, of his cock against her leg and his hand inside her were enough to send her over the edge in a matter of seconds "Damon" She cried out, not caring who could possibly hear her, the only thing that mattered in that moment were the sensations on her body.

She felt him move away from her body but refused to open her eyes, her body was still singing and she wanted to prolong the feeling for as long as she could. When she came back to her senses and opened her eyes she found a sight she was sure would be burned in her memory for the rest of her life. Damon was propped against the pillows stroking his shaft while his eyes raked all over her naked body, Elena whimpered as she watched him roll on a condom and felt herself getting wet again at the thought of him finally inside her.

"Come here" He told her and she happily complied.

She straddled him and their eyes locked as she lowered herself onto him, they both moaned at the feel. Elena gripped his shoulders as he encircled her waist, pressing her completely to him. Her breasts rubbing deliciously against his naked chest "Oh Damon" She moaned before he took her lips with his. Their mouth battling as their bodies moved frantically against each other.

She could feel him in every part of herself, and not just physically. He was everywhere, Damon was branding himself even into her own bloodstream and she didn't know if she could possibly ever let him go. "Oh Elena" He groaned as their lips parted, his blue eyes found hers and Elena could see the fire burning inside them, she could get lost in those blue pools, she would gladly get lost in him forever.

"I'm never letting you go" He stated as he looked into her eyes. Right now, not Katherine and his responsibilities, or Elijah Michaelson and his intentions with Elena. There was only them together, like it should be. Like he would make sure it was, he wasn't letting her go, ever. "Never" He said as he gripped her hips tightly and emptied himself inside her. He threw his head back as he groaned, his Adam's apple bobbing and the muscles on his neck stretching widely, the feel of him pulsing inside her and the sight of his body shuddering in pleasure sending Elena into her second orgasm.

Minutes later they still lay on his bed, their bodies tangled together, their sweaty skins sticking to each other and the only sound in the room their breathings and their lips moving against each other. Elena thought briefly that her mouth would be bruised by tomorrow but she didn't mind much, she would kiss him for forever if she could.

The night had been perfect and she honestly couldn't wait to spend many more nights like this with him.


	12. I stayed in the darkness with you

**Hi guys!**

 **Sorry for being so late but life has been a bit crazy lately, I hope you enjoy this chapter because I really like it. Thank so much for being with me still and thanks a lot to Lorena for being the beta on this.**

 **Extra points if you can spot the quote from The vampire diaries book in here.**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

" _I know you; I danced with you once upon a dream…And now, certainly, Elena felt like a flame. We were meant to be this way. Like two flames that join and merge into one"_

 _ **The vampire diaries.**_

 _ **.**_

He popped open another button of her blouse and dipped his head, his nose running along the valley of her breasts "I really need to get going" She half moaned as he ran his tongue on the top half of her chest.

"Then leave" He answered against her heated flesh

She grunted as he gripped her hips tighter and pressed her even more against the desk behind her. Elena had come to his home office with the intention of letting him know she was going to be out all evening at the gallery with Elijah, Damon had grunted and forbid her to go without giving him a goodbye kiss, which was what put her in the position she was now.

"You're not playing fair" She said breathlessly while running her hands through his hair.

"I'm a business man, I never play fair" He answered before pressing one last kiss to her chest and straightening up "But since I know this is important to you, I will allow you to leave" He winked at her.

"You'll allow me?" She told him with mirth in her voice and a smile on her lips "How very generous of you, Mr. Salvatore"

"I am a very generous man, Miss Gilbert" He answered while buttoning up her blouse again.

Elena bit her lips while staring at him, his shirt was half open, his cheeks were red and his hair was a tangled mess, the man truly was a vision, she was definitely going to capture this picture in a canvas later.

"Stoop ogling me Miss, it's rude to stare"

"Oh please" She rolled her eyes and punched his arm playfully

He gripped her by the waist and drew her into the circle of his arms once again "I've been thinking, maybe it's time we tell the girls about us" All the playfulness in his expression was gone and Elena felt her heart rate speed up.

"I don't know Damon…"

"I know you may think it's better this way…but I hate lying to them and everyone else too" His blue eyes looked at her pleadingly and she wanted nothing more than to say yes to everything he asked of her but there was some irrational part of her still thought that it wasn't the right time

"I just want to wait a bit more Damon" She caressed his cheek softly "I don't want to risk losing you guys"

"Elena, you won't" He pressed his forehead next to her. Her breath caressing his face and her hands tangled in his hair "But keeping this a secret is killing me, I want to be able to kiss you in front of everyone, I want the world to know you are mine"

To say Damon was frustrated with the situation was an understatement, he liked to have things in control and Elena refusing to acknowledge their relationship was killing him. Keeping secrets could do terrible things to your sanity and he already had too many, he didn't like having to keep one more.

"Please Damon, just a little bit more time" She pleaded with him. Elena knew she wasn't being fair but she couldn't help it, fear was a dangerous thing and right now it was controlling her.

"All right" He sounded defeated and Elena hated it, hated herself for doing this to him "All right" He pressed one last kiss to her lips and started pulling away but she stopped him.

"I love you Damon" Her hazel eyes stared at him, trying to make him understand "I truly love you"

"I know" He told her with a small smile "I love you too" He told her and kissed her cheek before releasing her "Now you should get going or you're truly gonna be late" He stepped away and walked behind his desk.

"Yeah, I should go" She smiled at him "After the gallery I'm going to have dinner with Caroline so I might be home a little bit late" She told him apologetically.

His lips turned upward into a smirk "I'll be waiting for you" He winked and she left the office feeling like the floor below her had shattered, he always managed to do that with his smiles.

After Elena was gone, Damon worked for a few hours on some new developments he was going to improve in the hotels he managed in New York, he was so deep into his work that he didn't realize his phone was vibrating until he already had five missing calls from Enzo.

"What's going on?" Damon said once he dialed his friend "I'm sorry I didn't hear the phone"

"I imagine it, look the agency called Bonnie, apparently they don't have your new cellphone" Damon's body instantly tightened, he didn't like where this conversation was going "Something happened, they said it isn't that big of a deal but that it's probably better if you're here"

He shut his eyes and cursed mentally "But they didn't say what was wrong?"

"No, just that you should come here as fast as you can" His friend answered from the other line

"Tell Bonnie-"

"She already did, there were no flights available for today but she booked you the first one for tomorrow, she's sending you the information right now to your e-mail"

"Tell her thank you" Damon said in a low voice "And thanks for calling"

"It's all right, and I'm sure everything's fine" Enzo said "Sorry for ruining your day mate"

"No, it's okay Enzo, thank you" Damon said before hanging up. He dropped the phone onto the table and massaged his temples.

This wasn't how he planned for his day to end but then again, what could he expect? life wasn't particularly nice to him.

He was genuinely happy again, these two months with Elena had been blissful and he had started to let go again, allowing himself to open up to her, he even managed to put all of this in the back of his mind but like always, things happened and everything came rushing back to him.

Now he was ridden with guilt for lying to Elena, to his daughters. Guilty for being happy again, guilty for wanting everything to be over, for not wanting to hear from that place ever again.

Damon Salvatore was a haunted man and with one phone call his demons started to resurface.

* * *

Elena took a sip of the wine in her glass, relishing in the feel of the cool liquid going down her throat. She and Caroline were lounging in the blonde's living room, eating lasagna, drinking wine and talking about the apparent crush Elijah Mikaelson had on Elena.

"Damon thinks the same but I don't know, I don't think so" Elena told her best friend.

"I'm telling you Lena, I see the way the man looks at you" Caroline told her before putting a piece of lasagna in her mouth "And Klaus might have told me something"

"What? He told you something?" Elena asked with a frown

"Not exactly, but he kind of hinted at something"

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. I have no interest in him that way and I'm with Damon"

"Yeah but does Elijah know you're with Damon?"

Elena huffed and took another sip of her wine "No"

"I seriously don't get why you want to keep this thing a secret, it's been two months" Caroline told her "Okay keep it from the girls if you want but let the rest of the world know. I would"

Elena smiled in spite of herself, thinking that her friend would have shouted it to the world at the first chance "It's just… it scares the hell out of me Caroline"

"Why? I've seen the way he's with you Elena, the man worships the ground you walk on" She said in a slightly exasperated tone while moving closer to Elena.

"I love his girls, I never thought much about having children but with them? God everything just seems so natural, I like the way things are right now. Damon and I are happy, the girls love me. Everything is alright in the world, it's like a fairytale"

"And how would telling the truth ruin that?" Caroline looked at her friend with sympathy.

"It would make it more real" There was a slight tremble in her voice "And real things rarely stay so beautiful"

"Oh Elena" Caroline said in a sad voice and moved so she could wrap her arms around her friend "Honey you can't live your life feeling afraid of things, you gotta take a leap and try. Things may be okay right now but this can start bothering Damon, the whole secrecy thing"

"I know, I know" Elena rested her head against her friend's shoulder and let herself be wrapped in the comforting smell of her grape shampoo "It's just I've never felt this way before Caroline and it scares me… and God I'm such a bitch"

"What? Why? You are definitely not"

"It's just sometimes I feel resentful towards his wife. Stefan told me she was not a kind woman but Damon loved her more than anything in the world and it makes me go mad" Elena said in a shaky voice and Caroline strengthened the hold on her "I feel angry at her for not being nicer to him and… I am jealous of a ghost Caroline, how can I think those things about a dead woman?"

"Oh Lena, because you're human and those are human emotions. That doesn't make you a bad person, hell you're the best person I've ever met… well after Matt maybe" Both girls laughed at this "…but it is normal, she was important in his life and you love him, I would probably feel the same as you"

"What if he can never love me the way he loved her?"

"Darling I think every love is different, and trust me, I've seen the way he looks at you, the man loves you Elena, don't even doubt it. Women all over the world would die to be looked like that by someone" Caroline stroked Elena's hair with one hand and reached for her glass with the other "Here, have more wine" She gave the glass to Elena "Enjoy the moment my little Elena, can I assure you it's going to work? No I can't. But who knows? we might all die tomorrow so I think it's better just to take a chance"

Elena smiled and raised her eyes to stare at her best friend "I love you Care, you are the best friend in the whole world"

"Oh I know, I know" She smirked and released Elena from her embrace "Now, let's eat because I'm not planning on wasting this"

"Yeah that would be a crime" Elena said with a smile and reached for her plate

"And please do let Elijah know you're not available"

"Aye aye Captain" Elena said before taking a piece of lasagna to her mouth.

* * *

Elena closed the door behind her quietly and proceeded to remove her heels. It was already past eleven and the whole house seemed to be asleep, she and Caroline had drank the entire bottle of wine and now she was more than a bit tipsy.

"Sneaking around in the dark Miss Gilbert" The deep voice of her boss rumbled, scaring the hell out of her. She visualized his silhouette in the stairs, he was sitting there and she was sure that a smirk was on his face.

"You almost gave me a heart attack" She said with her hands pressed against her chest. She walked towards him as best as she could in the darkness and with the alcohol in her system. "You shouldn't be lurking in the dark like that"

"Why not? Interesting things happen in the dark…sometimes" His voice sent a shock through her body and she moved faster so she could reach him.

"And what things would that be Mr. Salvatore?" She whispered once she was on the step below the one he was sitting

"Are you tipsy Miss Gilbert" He said with mirth as he extended his arms and wrapped them around her slender frame, forcing her to move forward

"I might be" She answered and closed her eyes as he pressed kisses onto her tummy

"Then we must take you to your room" He said before standing up, Elena's eyes opening up at the loss of his mouth on her "We can't have you wandering around the house drunk" He smiled at her before taking her into his arms bridal style

"What are you doing?" She whispered

"Making sure you don't trip around" He whispered and kissed her forehead "And since I'm such a good boss and I want to make sure you sleep okay I'm going to take you into my room instead, that way I can keep an eye on you"

"Oh yeah, you're such a thoughtful person Mr. Salvatore"

"That's what I've heard" He opened the door to his room with his foot and carried her straight to the bed "That's why you love working for me" He placed her on the center of the bed and climbed on top of her

"One of the reasons" She laced her hands behind his neck and brought him down for a kiss.

"I have to leave tomorrow" He said with a troubled voice "A thing came up with one of the resorts and I must go and fix it"

"Oh" Elena said while staring at him, she was hoping to spend tomorrow with him and the girls "And when will you be back?"

"I don't know, but hopefully it'll only take one or two days" He dropped his forehead onto hers and she wanted to ask if everything was okay because there was something off about him but all thoughts left her mind the minute his hand went under her dress. "Will you think of me?" He asked as his hand did sinful things to her body.

"Yes" She said while throwing her head back "I will think of you all day"

He lowered his head to her chest and she felt him smirking against her skin "My sweet girl" He murmured absently while lowering the front of her dress with his teeth and then proceeding to suck on her breasts trough the material of her bra.

"Damon… inside me, now" She panted and he didn't need to be told twice.

In a matter of seconds they both got rid of their clothes and Damon materialized a condom out of somewhere and before they realize he was moving inside of her.

"This feels so good" She panted against his damp neck, her nails digging into his back as he moved on top of her

He kissed her lips and pressed his hips harder against her, he wanted to make love to her all night. He wanted to kiss her all night, so her lips were sore in the morning and she remembered him every time she felt them, so that everyone could see it and know she belonged to someone.

She broke the kiss to breathe for a moment and he dropped his forehead onto hers, their breaths mingling and the sound of their bodies meeting echoing in the room.

"I want to be with you forever" She whispered a while afterwards, Damon was holding her close to his body and their eyes almost closing. She fell asleep seconds after and Damon wasn't sure if he had heard her right.

"I want to be with you forever" He whispered back to her even though she couldn't hear him.

A sense of dread invaded him at the thought of her leaving him. _She will,_ an insidious voice inside him said, _she will when she knows your secret_. He closed his eyes and forced the thoughts to leave his mind, he pressed himself closer to her and breathed in her scent. She was here right now, and he wasn't letting her go anywhere.

* * *

 **Review please?**


	13. We're real

**Hey there!**

 **Hope you're all doing okay, thanks a lot for reading, I'm so sorry it took me so long. I really hope you enjoy the chapter, I just want you to know shit's about to hit the fan real soon because come on, it's Delena, what would they be without the drama?**

 **Thanks a lot to Lorena for being my beta**

 **And if you enjoy the chapter, leave me a review :)**

* * *

 _"What I see is a good man milady. And they're not like buses it won't be another one in ten minutes time"_

 _ **Downtown Abbey**_

 _ **.**_

Elena looked at herself in the bathroom mirror with a nervous smile on her face, a part of her still couldn't believe this was actually happening. A few seconds ago Elijah had given her a very heartwarming speech about working with her and had presented her first formal collection on his gallery. People had cheered for her and congratulated her on her amazing work, she never thought people could actually think her work was that good. Matt had given her flowers and Caroline had squealed next to her and everything had been perfect.

Almost perfect. Damon had called her earlier to let her know he would arrive late, she was disappointed but by the sound in his voice she knew he was even more upset than her for not being able to be there and that had brought a smile to her face, knowing how much her dreams meant to him.

Elena exited the bathroom and found Caroline and Matt near the bar, her blonde friend had a scowl on her face while Matt looked at her with glee.

"What's going on?" Elena asked the minute she approached them

"Caroline here has some very strong opinions about her boyfriend's sister" Matt said with a smile

"She's a total bitch!" Caroline spat before downing her martini in one go "She has been clinging to him the entire night and he doesn't know how to tell her no"

"She doesn't have to deal with mommy issues, but rather with sister issues" Matt told Elena "I found this whole thing to be hilarious" The blonde sent a murderous glance towards the man and Elena tried her best not to laugh.

"Well you are Caroline Forbes, go, and get him back!" Elena told her

"It's not that easy, she hates me!" She screeched "And I don't know, she makes me feel like…like I'm not good enough for him"

"Okay, now that's ridiculous" Matt said

"Totally" Elena joined "She is a crazy bitch and totally not worth it" Elena hugged her friend briefly before ordering a drink "But you know what, don't worry about it, we are going to have so much fun tonight and get drunk"

"I'll drink to that" Matt said while raising his glass

"Well maybe Matt and I will" Caroline said with the biggest smile Elena had seen "Because you might be too busy" She signaled with her glass to the door and Elena turned around to see a breathtaking sight.

Damon walked across the threshold looking like he owned the place. He was wearing a black suit with a dark blue jacket underneath and his hair was styled in a messy way that she knew took ages to achieve.

"wow" She said under her breath

"Exactly what I was thinking" She heard Caroline say, but her voice was truly just noise in the background because her entire attention was on the man walking towards her with a smirk on his face. It never ceased to amaze her, the fact that a man like him was crazy about someone like her.

The moment he reached her he placed a kiss on her cheek and took her by the waist "Congratulations doll" His thick voice said into her ear and she felt all of her insides turn into goo.

"I think I just got pregnant" Caroline whispered under her breath and Matt snickered. Elena blushed all over and sent a murderous glance towards her friend.

"It's always good to see you Caroline" Damon said with a smirk before releasing Elena and pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek

"Of course, Mr. Salvatore" The blonde girl beamed "And this is Matt" She motioned to the blonde man who wasted no time in shaking Damon's hand

"Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too, Matt, I've heard a lot about you"

"Oh and I've heard all about you too" Matt said and Elena blushed even more

"Okay, you two need to stop embarrassing me" She hissed at them "Let's go" She tugged on Damon's hand and started walking away while she heard her friends chuckling in the background

"Quite the pair" Damon commented

"They always team up against me" Elena answered with a smile

They walked around the venue so that Damon could see Elena's work and talk with a few of the people Damon knew, a warm and fuzzy feeling invaded her chest every time he stopped to admire one of her paintings. She could never tell him with words how much it meant to her that he cared so much about what she did.

At one point they were intercepted by Elijah, the minute the British man started walking towards them Elena started to feel the tension emanating from Damon's body.

"Hi, you're Damon Salvatore right?" He started "Elena's boss?"

"Yes I am" Damon's jaw clenched and he shook Elijah's hand briskly "Beautiful thing you did here" He said motioning to the place, his words had a cold undertone and Elena felt herself start to worry.

"It was not my doing" He said "It was all hers" Elijah looked a Elena with a glint in his eyes and Damon balled his hands into fists at his sides

Thankfully seconds later an elderly man called Elijah and he excused himself "Does Elijah know you and I are together?" Damon asked the minute the other man was outside of ear shot

"What?" Elena asked him, astonished. She had never imagined that that was what bothered Damon.

"Does he?"

"No, I mean I think no"

"You've never mentioned me?"

"Yes, I mean I told him I was working for you but I never-"

"So I'm just your employer?" He asked with an edge in his voice

"Damon that's not-"

"Unbelievable Elena" He muttered before turning around and heading towards the door. Elena looked around and thankfully no one had seemed to realize what was happening, no one except Caroline and Matt who were now looking at her with worried eyes.

Elena cursed mentally and followed Damon out of the place, she found him walking down the stairs towards the parking lot "Damon wait" She shouted and he stopped in his tracks, his whole posture was rigid and Elena knew she wasn't going to like what was in his eyes

"Are you ashamed of us?" He asked and his voice almost broke

"What? No!" She told him, shocked that he could think that.

"Then I don't see why you would want to hide our relationship, why you insist on keeping it a secret and not telling him I'm your boyfriend to a man who clearly has other intentions with you" His blue eyes were stormy as he said the words through gritted teeth

"Damon, it's not like that. I told you that I don't want people to know in case it doesn't work out"

"It seems to me Elena, that you've pegged our relationship from the start as a means to an end" he spat at her

"No, Damon. I love you"

"I know, and I love you too" He said "But I can't be the only one wanting this to work, I can't fight for this alone Elena" He shook his head in disappointment and then walked away slowly.

She couldn't do anything but stay there, rooted in her spot while tears started streaming down her face. Caroline had warned her; this whole secrecy thing was going to bite her on the ass.

"Elena? what happened?" She heard Caroline's voice behind her. Turning around she found her and Matt standing there with worried looks on their faces.

She launched herself on their arms immediately, basking in the comfort and familiarity of them. "I screwed up Caroline" She said

She let herself be comforted by them for a while before putting on a brave face and going back to the event, this was her show after all. Nonetheless, she couldn't enjoy anything for the rest of the night.

This definitely wasn't how she expected tonight to end.

* * *

Game of thrones played on the screen as Elena dipped another French fry in the pot of chocolate mint chip, Caroline had scrunched her nose when she watched her do that before leaving to have lunch with her mother. It was Sunday morning and Elena had been wallowing in self-pity since Friday night when Damon left her at the party, he hadn't called her and she hadn't called him either and the silent treatment was already killing her.

A knock on the door stopped her from popping another fry into her mouth, she groaned and reluctantly got up from Caroline's couch in order to open the door.

"You look terrible" Were the first words that greeted her when she opened the door and found Stefan Salvatore standing there.

"Jeez, thanks friend" She said as she widened the door so the younger Salvatore could come in

"I'm here to conduct an intervention" He said solemnly as he walked into the living room, he looked at the screen and grimaced "You sure do know how to wallow"

Elena rolled her eyes and picked up the remote control to turn off the TV "What are you doing here Stefan?"

"I already told you, intervention" He sat on the couch and then took the pot of ice cream into his hands "I cannot stand another minute of my brother brooding or you for that matter"

"He told you what happened" Elena said and Stefan nodded as he took a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth "And you think it's my fault"

"I wouldn't say it like that"

Elena groaned and plopped down on the couch next to him, taking the bag of fries into her hands "I didn't mean to hurt him Stefan, it wasn't like he thinks…I don't want anything with Elijah and I'm not ashamed of our relationship… I think it was just preservation"

"I know Elena and I know this because I can see the bigger picture" Stefan told her "But Damon can't." He looked at her sadly "You see my brother and see a successful man, confident, intimidating… but he's not entirely like that. Damon has a lot of insecurities and that's why wants everyone to know that you are with him. He doesn't want to lose you"

Elena sighed and rested her head against the couch before taking a bunch of fries into her mouth. She felt terrible, the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Damon and that was exactly what she had done.

"And he's wrong too, he's closing up again and refusing to contact you, he's stubborn that one" Stefan shook his head with a small smile on his face "But I do know he loves you"

"I know"

"Look I'm gonna tell you a story. The girl from the party…Valerie, you remember?"

"Of course"

"We were high school sweethearts, I loved her more than anything in this earth but her family didn't approve of our relationship, some old family feud they kept dragging on"

"Like Romeo and Juliet?"

Stefan laughed softly "Yeah, something like that"

"What happened?"

"She got pregnant in our sophomore year at college. We were terrified, we both knew that our family wouldn't approve" Stefan eyes were lost in the memories, there was a sad quality to them and Elena felt her heart aching for him "But we promised to make it work, we would stand together against everyone and everything would be all right"

"But it wasn't" She whispered

"No, it wasn't. Her family turned their backs on her and she lost the baby before her first trimester" Stefan closed his eyes "I was devastated, I realized I had started to truly want that baby but she… you can't know what it did to her"

Elena was so used to Stefan being relaxed around her, to being carefree and making jokes, so seeing this other side of him surprised her, she would have never guessed he had so many things hidden inside of him.

"We drifted apart after that, she never truly got over what happened and I was young and foolish. I didn't understand how it affected her, letting her go is truly one of the biggest mistakes of my life"

"I'm so sorry Stefan" She told him softly

He nodded and took another spoonful of ice cream "My point is, Elena, that I don't want to see that happening to you"

"Stefan I-"

"Go and talk to my brother, fix this before it's too late. You don't want to be sitting here ten years from now realizing you let your happiness go away"

"But what if he doesn't wants me back?"

"Oh for the love of God, you have that man wrapped around your little finger" He teased, the somber look on his eyes completely gone. "He could never say no to you"

Elena smiled in spite of herself and launched herself into Stefan's arms "Thank you" She told him.

He hugged her back and smiled "You're welcome. I had to do something, you guys were really depressing me"

Elena released him and punched him playfully on the arm "I think I should go change"

"And shower" He scrunched up his nose

Elena punched him again "Asshole" She muttered with a half-smile before getting up and heading towards the bathroom

* * *

Damon sighed before downing another glass of bourbon. He had been restless since Friday night, a part of him knew it had been wrong to leave Elena there all by herself but another part of him was still so angry at her.

He leaned back on his chair and stared at the starry sky above him, the girls were already in bed and he was currently sitting in the back yard getting drunk, it was still technically the weekend so they hadn't asked about Elena yet but he wasn't sure what he was going to tell them tomorrow morning. She had become such an important part of their lives that he wasn't sure how they were going to function without her.

He poured another glass and took a sip before closing his eyes, he was tired but refused to go to bed. He had already had so many memories of her in there, he swore he could still smell her scent on his sheets.

"Does misery need company?" His eyes flew open the minute he heard her voice. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear her approach

"Elena…" He whispered as he stared at her. She was wearing jeans, a light blue long sleeved blouse, she looked as beautiful as ever but even he could tell that she was as miserable as him.

"I came to apologize" She said softly as she took a seat on a chair opposite his "Damon I never intended to-"

"No, I should apologize" The minute he saw her all his previous anger vanished, fading away in the recess of his mind "I shouldn't have left you there"

"It's okay, I get it" She said softly "I shouldn't have been so insistent on keeping this a secret, it's just… it scares the hell out of me"

"Scares you? Why?" His blue eyes were soft while looking at her and she almost started weeping right there because of the care she saw in there, how she had missed him these two days.

"Of all of this" She answered him "I feel like… like if we say it to everyone it will be more real and then… I don't know I just keep waiting for everything to blow up on my face"

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know, God Damon I've never been good at relationships. I think it might have something to do with my father abandoning me or some stupid psychoanalytic thing like that" She joked

"Elena…" He stood up and walked towards her, kneeling in front of her chair "Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise you. We'll make this work."

"Promise?"

"Promise" He answered "And please forgive me for being an idiotic, insecure bastard. You mean so much to me…. I just can't help it"

"It's okay" She said smiling "It's kind of hot" She pressed a brief kiss to his lips "So, no more secrets" She said with a small smile

Damon frowned slightly as a wave of guilt washed over him. _Hypocrite_ his mind screamed, _you are keeping more secrets than anyone_ "No more secrets" He forced the words out of his mouth

Elena smiled at him and took his face between her hands "I hate fighting with you"

"Me too, you have no idea how much I missed you these two days"

"Oh I have, I've also eaten my weight in ice cream so I fighting is definitely bad for my health"

He laughed at her words and leaned towards her "Not healthy at all" He whispered before kissing her, her hands cupping his jaw while his rested on her legs.

They kissed as the stars shinned above them, as the chilly wind caressed their skins and as two little girls watched them from the window of their bedroom, giggling with delight at the scene in front of them.


	14. Wind and words

_**"We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy"**_

 ** _George R.R. Mar_ tin**

 **.**

Briar beamed at Elena before filling her mouth with popcorn, the older woman smiled at the girl and turned her attention back to the screen. Seconds later she felt Damon's hand gripping hers and turned her head to look at him, he had the most genuine smile on his face and her heart warmed at the sight.

Damon was a man who had everything, yet the little things in life were what made him truly happy.

They still hadn't mentioned anything to the girls about their relationship but they had offered to take them to the movies and then to have dinner. It was a beautiful Saturday night and Elena found herself between Briar and Damon with Violet sitting on the other side of her dad. It was such a simple act, going to the movies and yet Elena had never felt happier. She couldn't help but think about how often we took things for granted.

Once the movie ended they headed to a quiet little Italian place downtown Damon loved and the girls chatted the whole way there. Damon had never seen them so happy, stars were dancing in their eyes and his heart soared with emotion at the sight of both girls on each side of Elena, both holding one of her hands.

How he wished he had met her first. Why had life been so cruel in denying her to him for so long? Where had she been hiding when he needed her the most? Elena had come into his life to bring him back to life, to show him that not everything in the world was treacherous. Why couldn't she had come sooner?

"Do you like it Violet?" Elena asked the younger girl who was currently stuffing her mouth with pizza

"Hmph" The girl said while moving her head up and down

"Pizza's her favorite" Briar said with a smile on her lips

Elena and Damon laughed slightly while shaking their heads and continued eating.

"Uncle Stefan said he was taking us to Coney Island next weekend-"

"Can we go daddy, please daddy, please?" Briar turned her blue eyes onto her father "Please, please"

"Yes daddy please" the other sibling joined her sister's pleas

Damon looked at both of them with a raised eye brow "Is there any way I can win when both of you team up against me?"

"Nope" Elena whispered while winking at him

"How about we all go to Coney Island next weekend?"

Briar and Violet looked at each other with growing smiles on their faces "Even Elena?" Violet asked

"Of course"

The girls looked at each other again and there was so much excitement and emotion in her eyes that Damon felt his heart breaking for them. He loved his girls, more than anything, but in moments like this he wondered how much he had been denying them, he had closed himself to love, and maybe then he never knew how to show it to them.

"Thank you daddy!" Briar said and jumped off her seat to go towards him, climbing onto his lap. He was about to chastise her for her behavior but then she placed a kiss onto his cheek and all protest died on his lips. He hugged her and breathed in her grape scent, a new shampoo Caroline had gifted her with.

Elena's eyes watered at the scene and the emotion inside her was too much, for a moment she felt like an intruder in this family scene but then Damon looked at her and there was so much love in his eyes that all of her doubts vanished. This was exactly the place where she was supposed to be.

"This is the best day ever!" Violet squealed and jumped off her seat before climbing onto Elena's, who yelped in surprise. "Thank you for being our nanny" Violet whispered into her ear and she couldn't help but laugh at her words.

"You're welcome"

The girls went back to their seats and continued their dinner without any more movement. Briar told them about her ballet lessons and how much she loved them while Violet told them she didn't like to have lessons every day. They ended up teaming up against Damon once again when it was time for dessert and he ended up losing again.

Briar and Violet smiled the whole time, they couldn't hide the happiness they were experiencing. For the first time in their lives they understood what it was like to have a complete family and they never wanted that feeling to go away. They were happier than they ever were before and wanted Elena to stay with them forever.

"Today turned out good" Damon said in a hushed voice as they drove back home. The traffic was as dense as always and the girls were exhausted so they had both fallen asleep in the back seat.

"More than good" She said while smiling at him, he moved his right hand and gripped hers right on top of the gear shift.

"I'm planning something" Damon announced

"Uh uh that can't be good" Elena joked

"I want to take the girls away on vacation" He said, his eyes fixated nonchalantly on the road, but Elena could tell that his whole body was filled with tension "To Italy"

"Okay"

"And I want you to come with me"

"Damon I-"

"Don't worry, you won't have to pay for anything" He said quickly

"Like hell I won't" She said a bit loudly and then turned around to see if her outburst had woken up the girls. Luckily, it hadn't. "Damon, I'm not with you so you can pay for my things"

"I know, and you have no idea how much I love you for that" He spoke truthfully, he had been so used to Katherine always wanting whatever he could give her that he thought everyone was the same. It was a hard habit to break but he was doing his best in trying to move away from old habits. "But I want to do this for you, Elena, and not because I think you'll want me more because of it but because I love you"

"Damon-"

"I love you so much Elena and I want you to always feel cherished" His eyes abandoned the road for a brief moment and stared at her, the lights of the city illuminating his face "I want you there with me, with us"

"Okay" She agreed, because honestly there weren't many things she could refuse with this man "but I'll get to pay for some things"

"Elena-"

"At least my plane ticket Damon" She told him as she gripped his hand

"Okay" He said with a half-smile and Elena beamed

"Oh my God I can't believe we're going to Italy" She continued in a hushed voice in fear of waking up the girls. She could barely stop herself from jumping up and down on her seat.

"Now that's the reaction I was going for" Damon said with a smirk before bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it softly

"You are the best boyfriend ever" She told him and leaned to press a kiss on his cheek

"Now you're just making me feel better" He said and she smiled at him before resting her head on his shoulder as the night extended in front of them.

"You just keep making my dreams come true Damon" Elena whispered, her voice filled with emotion. Damon took a shaky breath, not trusting his voice yet, Elena had no idea how true that statement was, he wanted to make every single one of her dreams come true "I have no idea what I did to deserve you"

Damon was certainly not perfect and he was more than aware of that fact, he had made so many mistakes in the past and to this day still continued to make them, but when Elena was with him he felt like he was the best man in the world. She gave him hope, she changed him, made him a better man.

He wanted to be perfect for her, he wanted to be perfect in her eyes and he would spend his entire life trying to do that. Elena was his salvation and he would fight for her with all he had.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Elena asked with a smile on her face as she observed the painting in front of her. It was an abstract blend of different shades of blue and how light reflected differently on each one. It was completely different from everything else she had painted before, she just sat one day in front of a canvas thinking about Damon's eyes and somehow had ended up with this.

"I think it will be a success, just like everything else" His thick, deep, accent echoed in the empty room and even Elena couldn't deny that even though she was crazy about Damon there was something alluring about Elijah Michaelson.

"Now I just think you're only being kind" She answered with a smile and moved to get her purse which was currently resting on top of a deep blue sofa placed against the back wall of the gallery.

"I'm serious, I'm still amazed at the success of the exposition, I think there's a lot of great things in store for you Elena" He told her

"Well thank you" She answered and started looking for her keys. She heard his footsteps approaching and lifted her eyes to see him standing almost in front of her.

"And I also wanted to ask you out"

"Huh?"

"Dinner, tonight or this weekend" He said with a half-smile

Elena stood there speechless for a few seconds remembering all the things Caroline and Damon had told her about Elijah's attraction to her, and how could she have been so stupid as not to see it?

"Uhmm Elijah I think I may have given you the wrong impression" She balanced her weight from one foot to another "I'm not available, I'm with someone"

She saw his face fall, but just for a split of a second, he composed himself quickly enough and raised an eye brow "Salvatore?"

Elena flushed and nodded "Yes, I'm so sorry if I ever-"

"No, dear Elena you have never given me the wrong impression, I've been fascinated with you since the beginning." He said as his piercing eyes stared at her and she felt herself blushing even more "But that's all on me"

"Is that why-?"

"Oh God no" He laughed softly "I thought you knew me better than that"

"I do, of course I do. But I couldn't help but thinking…."

"No, Elena, your talent is real and I'm genuinely interested in your work"

"I hope things can continue being the same between us" Elena told him softly. She enjoyed Elijah's friendship and loved working for him, she truly didn't want things to go south between them.

"Of course" He reassured her "I can promise you I won't bring this up ever again, unless you want me to of course" He said with a smirk

Elena couldn't help but laugh slightly at his joke "Thank you and I'm so sorry"

"There's nothing to be sorry about" He answered before turning around and heading towards his office "See you around Elena"

"See you"

Elena huffed and started walking towards the door. She didn't know if she should tell Damon about this little encounter, she knew he wouldn't be happy with it but she didn't want to hide things like that from him.

As she drove home she couldn't help a small smile from forming on her lips at the thought of lying in his arms tonight. Things had been so great between them and they had been enjoying more outings with the girls lately, Elena felt it was finally time to tell them, for the first time in her life she was genuinely happy and wanted to shout it out to the world, she wanted everyone to know that she and Damon were together.

When she arrived home she saw that most of the lights were already out so she figured the girls were already sleeping, knowing Damon he was probably working in his home office because that man truly didn't know how to stop. She wanted to surprise him so she tried to make her entry as quietly as she could.

Elena practically tip toed through the hallway with a smile on her face, but once she was close enough she realized that surprising him was not on the agenda tonight. Enzo and Bonnie were inside with him, she didn't realize their cars were parked on the entry but now she could hear their voices inside, she was about to turn around and leave when the mention of her name stopped her in her tracks.

"You can't lie to her forever Damon" Bonnie said from the other side, Elena moved closer and rested her ear against the door

"I know Bonnie but how can I bring up something like that"

"I honestly wouldn't want to be in your place" Enzo said in a troubled voice "Things are not going to be pretty when she finds out"

"Which is why you should have told her in the first place, Damon keeping this a secret is a major mistake, the lies are going to keep piling up" Bonnie said in an exasperated voice, Elena could hear Damon's sigh and dread grew in the pit of her stomach.

"Don't you think I know that Bonnie? I know I've brought this on myself!" His voice grew louder and Elena almost flinched at the tone

"Easy mate" Enzo said "We know, we know this isn't easy for you. And I know that you can't just go in there and tell her 'hey you know what? My wife is actually not dead' there's just no easy way to say that"

"God, I wish I had done things differently"

The conversation continued but she couldn't hear anything else, her mind was frozen and that line 'My wife is actually not dead' kept repeating in her head. Katherine was alive, she had been alive this whole time and Damon had been feeding her a bunch of lies, Stefan as well.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as an ache in her chest started growing. She wanted to leave, she wanted out of this place immediately but she would give him a piece of her mind before, because God knows he deserved it, he broke her heart, Elena Gilbert had truly opened herself to love for the first time in her life and he had ripped it apart.

She swung open the door and stared into his shocked blue eyes "Oh you are going to regret complaining and starting a fight about me keeping US a secret when you're the one who's been keeping the worst secret of them all!"

Damon opened his mouth to speak but no words came out as he stared at the broken expression on her face.

He had ruined things.

Just like he always did.

* * *

 **So, the shit finally hit the fan. What do you think?**


	15. Catch the wind

**Hey there! Hope you're really liking the story so far, im kind of nervous for this chapter, I really want you to like it. There's still a lot more to Damon's story so I hope I did t disappoint you. Thanks a lot for still being with me,we're already coming to an end and it's been great to share this with you guys.**

 **Thanks a lot to Lorena for being an awesome beta on this :)**

 **here we go**

* * *

 _In the chilly hours and minutes of uncertainty_

 _I want to be in the warm hold of your loving mind_

 _To feel you all around me and to take your hand along the sand_

 _Ah,but I may as well try to catch the wind_

 ** _Catch the wind_**

 ** _._**

Damon hated seeing her cry, but most of all, he hated to be the cause of those tears. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest right at that moment and knew that there was no one to blame but himself.

"How could you?" She yelled between sobs "How could you hide something like this from me Damon?"

He stood up "Elena, it's not how you think" He said, his own voice breaking. He moved towards her but she raised her hands in front of her.

"Don't! Don't touch me" She said as she moved backwards, Damon raised his hands, he wanted to touch her so badly, to hold her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be alright. "You've been lying to me this entire time"

"Elena please-"

"Your wife is alive! Your wife is alive, Damon! Has anything you've been telling me been real?"

He hung his head and balled his hands into fists at his side "I love you, that's real"

Elena let out a sardonic laugh "No, no it's not"

His eyes shot up to hers, tears were shinning in his blue eyes as well as in hers. "Katherine's in a coma Elena" He watched as the realization hit her, a frown appeared on her forehead and she opened her mouth but no words came out "She was in a car crash a few years ago but didn't die at the incident, she's been in a coma ever since and I've been taking care of her"

Elena stared at him without saying a word as tears continued to fall down her cheeks. She felt so betrayed, by him, by Stefan, by everyone in this house who probably knew the truth, she felt like such a fool. "And why the lies?"

"The doctors told me since the beginning that they didn't think she would get better, I didn't want to put the girls under such pain, I didn't want them to have hope of their mother waking up one day when it was very likely that she wouldn't; she has brain damage Elena, she won't get any better, I didn't want to do that to them" He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his face as he supported himself against his desk "In fact, she's been getting worse… I've been there lately because the doctors say that she might die very soon"

"That's where you've been travelling lately isn't it?" She asked in a broken voice. Damon looked at her with sad eyes without saying a word "God, I've been a joke to you all this time"

"No, Elena, it's not like that"

"Then why? Why lie to me?"

"I never imagined something like this could happen between us Elena, when I met you-"

"When you met me Damon!" She shouted "It's been months; you've had millions of chances to tell me the truth" She got angrier with every word she spoke.

"I know, Elena, I know" He told her "But I didn't want to lose you"

"Well that worked out great for you in the end didn't it?" She bit out and it was like she sucked all the air out of him. He grimaced as he felt something terrible clawing at his chest, he had never felt so much pain in his life.

"Elena, please, this can't be the end for us" He started walking towards her and this time he ignored her signals, he invaded her space and took her face between his hands despite her protests "I love you, please forgive me. I know I have no excuses but I only did what I thought was right"

Her tear filled eyes looked harshly at him as she removed his hands from her face "You know what is the worst, Damon?" She stepped outside of his embrace "That you pushed me over and over again about keeping us a secret and you're full of them"

Damon looked down as every single one of her words cut him like a knife "You're a hypocrite and a liar" Her voice broke down "You broke my heart" She sobbed "You teared it apart"

"Elena, no" He managed to say in a sob as his eyes lifted to meet hers and what he saw there devastated him, they were broken. She had been the one thing he loved the most and he had managed to break her.

"I wish I'd never met you Damon" She told him before storming out of his office and slamming the door shut.

Damon couldn't hold it back anymore and collapsed on the couch as tears streamed down his face. He ruined it, Elena was right, he was a hypocrite, and he had managed to destroy the one thing he had right in life.

He had lost her, he lost Elena and he didn't know what he was going to do without her. The girls needed her, he needed her. She had arrived into their lives to change them, to fill them with color and now that he knew what it was like to have her in his life he knew he couldn't go back to that gray place where he was living before her.

He had made the biggest mistake of his life. But this wasn't the end, he would fight for her until his last breath, Elena was it for him, there was no other woman. She had to forgive him, he would give her time, he would give her whatever she asked him of but he would never let her go.

Never.

* * *

While driving towards her best friend's apartment Elena had called the blonde girl and told her she needed girl time and that she should have a bottle of tequila prepared. Caroline must have heard the urgency and heart break in her friend's voice through the phone because when Elena crossed the threshold the blonde girl already had the bottle opened next to a bag of chips and a worried look on her face.

"Elena, what happened?" She asked the minute she took notice of the brunette's appearance. Her mascara had run off and had left spots on some parts of her cheeks, plus her eyes and nose were both red from all the crying.

"He lied to me Caroline" Elena spat out between sobs "He's been lying this entire time" She threw herself into her friend's arms who let her cry freely for what felt like hours.

Between sobs Elena told Caroline everything that had happened since the moment she arrived at the house, she told her about Damon's wife being in a coma and about Stefan and him keeping everything from her.

Elena had never felt so much heart break in her life, there was always a part of her that chose only relationships that were safe, that dated people she didn't really love because she knew they could never hurt her, but somewhere along the way Damon had snuck up on her and had managed to get under her skin. And now look at where she was, in pain just for loving him so much.

She wondered what would have happened if she had never heard that conversation? Would he had kept it a secret his entire life? What hurt her the most was the fact that she had to hear it by accident, that he didn't trust her enough to tell her the truth. And there was also that insidious part of her mind that kept repeating that Damon had loved that woman more than he would ever love her, that he took care of her even after everything she did to him, she felt sick to even be having those thoughts, but she couldn't help it.

"Oh Elena I don't even know what to say" Caroline said softly while her friend took another swing at the tequila bottle. They were both sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, their backs pressed against the couch behind them "I mean I've been teaching Briar for two years now and I didn't even imagine-"

"He's good at keeping secrets" Elena murmured, the tears had stopped and now her forehead was throbbing and her throat felt raspy, she had no idea if it was because of the tears or because of the tequila.

"Is it really over then?" Caroline asked in a whisper "You're not giving him a second chance?"

"Should I?" Elena scowled "I can't trust him anymore, Caroline, not after this. It's a huge thing! How could he hide something like that from me?"

"I know" The blonde girl said "But you know, it's not like she is alive, alive" Elena shook her head lightly. Caroline had always been a romantic and she couldn't help but excuse Damon's behavior "I mean I'm not saying that what he did was right but you should at least try to talk to him"

"No, no I won't"

"Once you're more calmed down you'll see things more clearly, Elena, what about the girls? Are you just going to disappear from their lives as well?"

"I don't- I don't know" Elena looked down and reached for the bag of fries. She had thought about it, what would this mean for the girls? A part of her knew there was no point in telling them their mother was alive, especially since she was getting worse as Damon had told her, but another part of her also felt that it was wrong to hide it from them. And there was also the fact that if she wanted to never see Damon again in her life that would also mean not to see the girls.

"You can't hide from your problems forever Elena"

"I'm not hiding from them Caroline" Elena denied, feeling a bit annoyed, she felt like Caroline had chosen Damon's side.

"Look I'm not against you on this okay" Her friend said as if she could read her mind "I'm just saying you should give him a chance to explain, I'm not even saying you have to forgive him, just hear him out"

As in on cue her phone started ringing, Damon and Stefan both had been calling her nonstop for the last couple of hours and she had rejected every single one of their calls. She took the phone and saw Stefan's name on the screen.

"Not even him?" Caroline asked softly

"He was supposed to be my friend Caroline and he lied to me as well" She pressed the red button and placed her phone on the floor again "He even discussed Katherine with him and left out that little bit of information out. I can't trust either of them now"

"Elena-"

"The fucking Salvatore brothers are a pair of liars" She spat out and took another swing at the bottle "Now Caroline, I know you are trying to be a good friend but right now I just need you to get drunk with me and tell me what an ass Damon is" Elena said and her voice broke down

"Okay, I can do that" The blonde girl said and took the bottle from her friend's hand "Damon Salvatore should spend the rest of his life rotting in hell because he is a fucking liar with no regards for other people's feelings" Caroline said in her best angry voice before taking a swing out of the bottle

Elena laughed in spite of herself and rested her head on Caroline's shoulder "And he's not even that hot" The blonde continued and now they both laughed because they knew how false that statement was.

"I don't know what I would do without you Caroline"

"Oh you would be totally lost darling"

They spent the rest of the night eating junk food, drinking, watching sad movies and using every curse in the world paired with Damon and Stefan's names.

* * *

"You know drinking yourself under the table won't do you any good?" Stefan asked as he entered his brother's room. Damon was slumped on a leather couch next to the window and he had a bottle of bourbon in his hands.

"Piss off Stefan" He answered before taking a sip of his bottle

"Where is all that resolution to get Elena back?" Stefan asked as he sat on Damon's massive bed.

"Out of the window, with my common sense, my honesty and where you'll be if you don't leave me the fuck alone" He muttered miserably before closing his eyes and taking the bottle towards his lips again

"Well she isn't answering my calls either so I can imagine she hates both of us" Stefan said and let himself fall down completely on Damon's bed. "I warned you… you should have told her everything, this was meant to bite you-"

"Stefan I really really don't want to hear I told you so right now" Damon grunted and directed his eyes towards his brother "I know how badly I fucked up but there's nothing I can do about it now"

"You could not get yourself drunk"

"Can you at least give me twenty-four hours to feel sorry for myself?" He answered

"I could, but the girls have been asking about you"

Damon closed his eyes once again and cursed under his breath. His girls were everything to him, he loved them more than anything in the world and he had always put their needs above his, always. But today he hadn't thought about them at all, hadn't thought about them missing him or missing her, his mind had been filled with dark angry thoughts towards himself, of longing, of a desperate need to have Elena in his arms once again.

It was the first time in a long time that Damon Salvatore had no fucking clue of what to do.

"What did you tell them?"

"I said you were sick and put them into bed"

"Thank you"

"They're my nieces, it's the least I could do" Stefan answered as he got up from the bed and moved towards the window "But you need to pull your shit together Damon"

"I know"

"For real, you don't need none of that lashing out or self-destructing shit you used to pull before" Stefan placed his hand on Damon's shoulder and gripped it tightly "And you make Elena forgive you"

Damon let out a sarcastic laugh before taking another sip of his bourbon bottle "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Just be your charming self and tell her how much you love her" Stefan said "Oh and do that eye thing you do, I know for a fact it drives her crazy"

Damon half smiled at his brother's comment. It was the closest he had been at smiling ever since she walked out of his office. "Is not that easy"

"Well good things in life aren't always easy"

Damon lifted his head and stared at his brother who smiled slightly at him "You can fix this Damon, I know you can" He squeezed his brother's shoulder and moved back to the bed "If there's someone who can win back a girl it's you"

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that"

Whatever clever remark Stefan was about to do died on his lips as Bonnie walked into the room with sorrow all over her face.

"Bon, what is it?" Damon asked as he got up slowly from the couch, the bottle of bourbon still in his hand "Is Elena okay?"

"Yeah, I mean I wouldn't know but-it's not about her" Bonnie looked down as she moved her weight from one foot to the other

"Bonnie you better tell us what's going on because we're totally imagining the worst" Stefan said while getting up from the bed.

"They have been trying to reach you all night Damon but you wouldn't answer…." Bonnie took a deep breath and focused her dark eyes on her best friend/boss "Katherine died this afternoon"

Both men stared at her without muttering a word. Stefan moved closer to Damon and took the bottle from his hands, he brought the bottle to his lips and drank thoroughly "Fucking shit" He said once he was done.

"They want to know what you'll do with the body Damon" Bonnie said and to Damon her voice was a faraway thing.

Katherine was dead, she was dead. The woman had hurt him so much over the years but her death had brought him no satisfaction, she was after all the mother of his children. She was dead and he truly didn't know how to feel about it.

"I'll go call them" He whispered as he walked past his brother and his best friend, heading towards his office.

Bonnie and Stefan watched him leave with worried expressions on their faces. They didn't know what was going on in Damon's head, once again Stefan wished Elena was still here because she would definitely know what to do.

He had to convince her to give his brother another shot.


	16. The center will hold

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you're all doing okay. I want to thank all of you for still reading this and for your reviews, they totally make my day. We only have three more chapters on this story and I'm feeling very nostalgic about it, I really hope you like the way the story is going. As always I want to thank Lorena because she is the best beta I could ask for.**

 **Here we go.**

* * *

" _Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when that person looks back – and at some point everyone looks back – she will hear her heart saying, "What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days? What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you? You buried yourself in a cave because you were fearful of losing those talents. So this is your heritage; the certainty that you wasted your life."_

 _ **-Paulo Coelho –**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

Elena opened her eyes and stared at the cream colored ceiling, it had been three days since she walked out of the Salvatore house and the ache in her chest was still as strong as it was the moment she found out the truth. Briar and Violet had called her yesterday and it had broken her heart to hear them asking her what was wrong, she had lied to them and told them she was sick and that she couldn't go back until she was better, Elena knew that she would have to face the situation soon because she wasn't the only one suffering with this whole thing but she honestly didn't know how.

After that first day when he called her incessantly Damon had been quiet and hadn't even called her once, Stefan had, she still refused to answer him, but she read his messages all the same, he said Damon was going through some things and he wanted to give her time, she honestly didn't care. She just wanted him out of her life.

Elena rubbed her eyes and gathered enough strength to get up from bed, she dragged her tired body to the shower and went through the motions of a normal morning. Caroline was at work and the quietness of the house made her feel chills, she prepared a plate of yogurt and granola since she didn't think she could stomach something else and sat on the kitchen table eating in silence.

The sound of the doorbell startled her as it echoed throughout the whole apartment, she placed her plate in the sink before heading towards the door and when she opened it all of the air got stuck in her throat.

"Just hear me out" He whispered as she made a move to close the door on his face. Damon stood in the threshold looking just as bad as she was feeling. He had red rimmed eyes and it looked as if he had run his hands through his hair all morning, his clothes were wrinkled, and in all honesty, he didn't look at all like the man she knew, he looked defeated.

"I don't think that's a good idea" All the anger had vanished from her body when she looked at the state he was in, all that was left now was a very deep sense of disappointment.

"Please, Elena, just hear what I have to say and if you still want me to be away from you afterwards…I'll just go and disappear from your life, all right?" Elena thought about it briefly and decided to open the door so he could walk inside, his words left a sense of dread inside her. Since she had found out about his secret she had wanted nothing more than to be away from him and never see him again but now that he was here the idea of being away from him for the rest of her life was just too terrifying.

They both sat down on opposites sides of the couch in the living room, Damon wanted nothing more than to reach out to her and touch her but he knew she would never let him, being apart from her these past few days had been literally killing him and he had no idea how he would deal if she refused to forgive him.

"I met Katherine when I was still attending university, she captivated me since the first moment, there was some kind of fire inside her that made everyone want to be around her" His eyes were lost in his memories, in a place far far away from her living room and she couldn't help the pang of jealousy that hit her at the moment. "I became obsessed with her, looking back now I don't know if it was truly love or just that she blinded me with her personality, I had never met a woman like her"

Elena was closing and opening the hand that was resting on top of her jean- clad leg and Damon almost moved his own hand so he could keep her's still. He knew she was nervous, he knew what this talk meant to her and wanted nothing more than to comfort her.

"She got pregnant in her sophomore year and her father demanded for me to marry her, I had been out of school the year before and now was working for my father in the hotel's business, I was still young and marriage was not in my plans but I loved her and she was having a baby so I agreed to it" Damon laughed sardonically while shaking his head "She dropped out of school to have the baby, she used to leave the baby with the nannies all the time, but the staff was always too scared to tell me how badly she was neglecting Briar. They thought I would take her side and I don't blame them, the woman had me bewitched, Stefan tried to make me see reason but I refused"

"Yeah I've heard that part of the story" Elena said in a soft voice, not wanting to meet his eyes. He probably had no idea but with every word he sliced her heart a bit more, she was never going to be that woman to Damon.

"Not completely" He answered "Katherine asked me for money to help her father out, his company was having some troubles and he had made a loan to some pretty nasty people. I told her I couldn't give her the amount she was asking for… a few weeks later she told me she was pregnant again"

Elena stared silently at him, his eyes looking at a far point in the door and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him, it seemed that Katherine had manipulated him the entire time and he didn't realize it.

"I loved Briar so I was happy to have another child but after a few weeks she started feeling bad, she said it was the stress because of her father and that if something happened to our child it would be my fault" He looked down and Elena gasped softly, knowing how much those words would have hurt him.

"I gave her the money and that was the moment the spell broke, I realized she wasn't the woman I thought and that everyone else was right about her. When Violet was born I asked her for a divorce but she refused, she told me I wouldn't get rid of her so easily and that she would take the girls if I tried something else"

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry" Elena said softly, the urge of reaching out and touching his hand too strong, but she somehow managed to resist.

"I dropped the subject and we stayed together even though we were no longer a couple, that was until I found out she had been cheating on me ever since we were in college" Elena's eyes widened at this, Stefan had mentioned something similar before but she couldn't have guessed that an affair had been going on for so long. A part of her wanted to believe that Damon was making this story up to look good in front of her but the most rational side of her knew that he was a good man and despite all of his flaws he would never tarnish the memory of a woman by making things up.

"I got proof of their affair and told her I would take her to court if she tried to fight me on the divorce… she, she told me that she had never loved me and that it had been Mason all along, that was the guy's name" Damon closed his eyes and this time she couldn't help herself and reached out to hold his hand. His eyes opened and stared at her with such adoration that it made her heart break all over again "She told me… that Briar was his, that she wasn't my daughter" Damon's eyes watered "And it's the truth, Elena, I've made the test; I am not Briar's father"

"Oh my God Damon" Elena gasped and took a hand towards her mouth "How could she do something like that"

"She wanted to marry me because of the money, so when he knocked her up she saw her opportunity and you know what's the worst? That he doesn't even care, he knew that his child was being raised by another man and he didn't care" The anger and the hurt in his face was evident, he had been carrying this pain for so long that it had become a part of his daily existence.

"I offered a pretty damn good divorce agreement and she accepted, in order to have all the money I was offering her she agreed to leave Briar with me, she didn't even say goodbye to the girls… the day she left, Briar asked for her and she didn't care, she left anyway"

"Then what happened?" Elena was in fact truly surprised, when she had heard that Damon's wife was alive this wasn't what she had been expecting.

"She and Mason had an accident on the night they were leaving, she ended up with brain damage and he with a cast" Damon laughed slightly but there was no humor in his laugh "He didn't care about her afterwards nor her family, I was the only thing she had left. My father moved heaven and earth to keep everything in silence, even the divorce, to the rest of the world Katherine had died in a car crash while still being my wife and that was it"

"I don't know what to say" Elena said while looking down. How could a woman do something like that? How could she care so little about her family? Elena was angry on behalf of Damon but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty over her thoughts, she shouldn't be having the kind of thoughts she was having about a now harmless woman with brain damage.

"Say you understand" He took hold of her hand and stared straight into her eyes "I never intended to hurt you this way, Elena; I thought that I could keep that part of my life separated, I was obviously an idiot"

"You were" She stated "And I get it, to some extent I get it, Damon, I get why you wanted to keep all of this a secret" She let out a breath and gripped his hands tightly "But I still can't- I can't forget it all and pretend it never happened. I can't go back there"

"Elena please, I'll do whatever you want me to"

"Damon it's not about that"

"I just can't accept the fact that I'm losing you" His blue eyes were filled with tears as he looked at her "You brought me back to life"

"And maybe that was all I was meant to do" She whispered and he felt the air being sucked out of his chest "Maybe I was just meant to be a passing thing in your life"

"Don't- Don't say things like that Elena"

"Damon- I" A sob broke out of her throat "I don't know what to say, I can't. You hurt me and I just can't"

"I'm not giving up on you, Elena" She needed time, he was sure of it but he would never let he go. She was his and he was hers. "I'll never give up on you"

"Damon… maybe all of this was a mistake."

"What?"

"You and me… now the girls are going to get hurt and I-"Whatever was going to come out of her mouth was silenced by the feel of his lips on hers. They were soft and demanding at the same time and she could feel the wetness of both their tears mixing

He broke away and rested his face against hers"Loving you was never a mistake Elena, I'm going to fight for you, until the very end" He whispered against her lips before standing up and heading towards the door.

She remained in the couch without even moving, silent tears streaming down her face.

* * *

"You are such a little coward" Caroline spat as Elena put in her suitcase another piece of clothing the blonde girl had pulled out a few minutes ago in her tantrum.

"I need to do this Caroline" Elena said with a tired voice, it had been a long day and she really wanted for it to end already.

"No, you don't. Look Elena, I know that what Damon did was wrong but he was trying to protect everyone and well Katherine was-"

"Yes, Katherine was a little selfish bitch but you know what? He loved her" Elena threw her hands in the air and sat down on the bed next to her half made suitcase "He loved her so much Caroline"

"Oh honey" The blonde girl sat down next to her and embraced her

"I want that someday; I want someone to love me that way"

"Elena, Damon already-"

"No, he would never love me like he loved her" Elena started sobbing quietly as Caroline rocked her back and forth softly "He already had that epic love, he won't have another"

"Every love is different Lena" Caroline whispered "And besides, we already stated the fact that Katherine was-"

"She was" Elena agreed once again "And maybe she didn't love him but he loved her, he loved her enough to care for her even after everything she did"

"I don't think he could have just left her without anyone, that's not the kind of man he is" Caroline said, trying to reason with her friend

"I know, but don't I deserve that someday?"

"You're making a huge mistake, Elena"

"It's not forever, Caroline, I just need a few days" Elena said while sniffing "it's just when I heard my mom's voice… I realized how much I needed to see them"

Caroline let out a breath and nodded "yeah, maybe it'll be good for you"

Elena gave her friend a watery smile and resumed her task, this time with her friend's help. She needed time to think and nothing would help her more at the moment than being surrounded by her family.

She needed to go home.

* * *

Damon parked the car and remained inside for a few seconds trying to collect himself. The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, between Elena finding out the truth and Katherine dying… Katherine.

He had put her to rest a couple of days ago with only Stefan as witness, at some point in life his brother had cared about the woman too and even though they both ended up hating her in the end he couldn't deny that she gave him the most important thing in his life and he would always be grateful to her for it.

He had debated for hours whether to say the truth to the girls, after all it was lies that took him to this dark place he was right now. But after talking and talking with Stefan and meditating it in the loneliness of his room he decided against it. There was no use in it. Katherine was now dead and he would rather the girls remember her as the good woman he painted them than the evil bitch she actually was.

Damon took a deep breath and exited the car. He told Elena he would not give up on her and he hadn't been joking, he needed her like he needed air. He loved her in a way that he never would have loved Katherine.

Elena had put him out from under water in a moment where he thought he would drown for sure and now he didn't know how to keep afloat without her. She had casted the shadows away from his life and filled his days with endless colors. He couldn't even put it into words how much he loved her and how no one else would be able to fill the void she left.

He had been sleeping in the girls' room the last few days just because he needed the comfort she could give them. They were the only ones who missed Elena as much as he did and even though they still thought it was because she was sick, they felt her absence as much as he did.

He needed her to understand that. He needed for her to understand that she already was his family, and that he would do anything for his family.

Damon knocked softly on the door, his body filled with anticipation, he wanted to see her, be near her, breathe in her scent but his heart fell to the floor when it was Caroline who opened the door and he saw the way she was looking at him.

"I'm here to see Elena" He said with a half-smile, trying to make himself believe that the distress on Caroline's face had nothing to do with Elena.

"Damon, she…" Caroline grimaced "She left"

"Left?" His blood ran cold at the words whispered

"Oh screw this" Caroline took a deep breath "You are an ass and you made an awful mistake but I also know my friend and I know she's making an even bigger one. She's closing off on you because she thinks you would never love her like you loved Katherine"

"What? How can she believe-"

Caroline didn't even let him finish, she went inside the house and Damon stayed in the threshold not knowing if he should go inside or leave. His mind was still stuck on those words _left._

"Here" The blonde girl handed him a piece of paper with words scribbled on it and what appeared to be a handmade map "You can get to the lake house of her parents with that. She went there with her family and if you truly love her you will get her back"

"Of course I love her, I love her more than anything" Damon folded the paper and put it in his pocket before leaning down and pressing a noisy kiss on the blonde girl's cheek. "Thank you so much Caroline" He told her before hurrying out of the building.

Elena had no idea, she had no idea how much he loved her.

He wasn't ever letting go of her, she still had no idea who Damon Salvatore really was.

* * *

 **Review?**


	17. Tesoro mio

**Hey guys! I hope you all had a great weekend and that you have an amazing monday, I want to take you all for still reading this, you have no idea how happy it makes me to read your reviews. Sadly after this chapter there will only be two more to the story, I feel a bit sad because it's ending but also very happy because the response you show to it and also because I'm already working on a new project that I hope you like as well. As always I want to take a chance to thank Lorena because I wouldn't be able to post this without here help.**

 **Well, enough with my rambling. I really hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

" _The center will hold_."

"How do you know?"

"Because we are the center."

 **-Richelle Mead-**

 **.**

Elena rested her head on Jeremy's shoulder as they watched Margaret run around with her best friend April after her, the image reminded her of the two little girls she had left back in New York. The sun was setting down and her parents were on the grill finishing the burgers they were going to eat for dinner.

Elena had felt the instant relief in her chest when her mother's arms circled around her and when she was able to see the smile on her sibling's face, she was with her family in her favorite place in the whole world, and if she couldn't heal here she wouldn't do it anywhere else.

Stefan had left her a voicemail yesterday where he told her that Katherine had passed away. She couldn't even imagine what Damon must have been feeling and she assumed that was the reason he had kept away from her the last few days, no calls, no texts. Elena felt awful about Katherine's death but a part of her, the most insidious part of her felt relieved. How bad of a person must she be to feel that way?

"Are you finally going to tell me what's been bothering you?" Jeremy asked in a quiet voice, bringing her back from her dark thoughts.

"Why would you think something's been bothering me?" She asked as she raised her head from his shoulder and stared at him. Jeremy had turned eighteen in the summer and it amazed Elena to realize how much her brother had truly grown, sometimes she still thought of him as the little boy she used to take care of.

"I'm your brother and I know you Lena" He said with a half-smile "Besides, even though I know you love us you wouldn't had dropped everything and rushed here without a reason"

"Isn't it possible that I just really really missed you guys?" She said smiling while gripping Jeremy's shoulder lovingly.

"No" He mocked her and placed a kiss on her forehead "it's okay if you don't want to talk now but I'm here if you need me" He told her lovingly

"When did you grow up so much Jer?" Elena asked with a hint of nostalgia in her voice

"When you weren't looking" He answered with a smile and bumped his forehead with hers "Now if that guy is your happiness you should try and fix things with him"

"What?" Elena asked while looking at him in disbelief "Why do you think this is about a guy?"

"You have that look mom gets every time she fights with dad" He said shrugging "You two are so alike that I'm guessing even heartbroken you look the same"

Elena laughed slightly while looking at her little brother "You are unbelievable"

"I know, I'm one of a kind" He answered. They turned their heads to their parent's direction when Ric shouted Jeremy's name. "I knew he couldn't finish the burgers without needing my help" He said and Elena laughed alongside him

"You better go before he burns the whole place down" Elena said with a smile before Jeremy got up.

"Oh and Anna's coming tomorrow" Jeremy said "You're really going to love her"

"I know I will" Elena nodded and watched with a smile as her brother walked away.

She took a deep breath and reached for the glass of wine resting on a table next to her. Her thoughts drifting back to Briar and Violet back in New York, how were they? She hadn't spoken with them since she came here and she truly missed them, she missed Damon too.

Was Caroline right? Was this a big mistake? Elena understood where Damon was coming from, he wanted to protect his children and after all that Katherine had put him through he had his reasons for being guarded around other people but she couldn't let go of those negative thoughts inside her that told her that she would never be as important to him as Katherine had been.

Elena's eyes danced towards where her mother and Ric were laughing as they prepared the food. Ric hadn't been her mother's first love but he had been the most important. Despite everything, Isobel didn't love John the way she loves Alaric and Elena longed for that kind of love.

She wanted to be the first option for someone, she wanted that epic love you read about and watched in movies. But maybe she was being stupid, was it truly important that Damon loved another woman before her? She loved him deeply and in her heart she knew that she would never love another man the way she loved him.

"Jeremy said you're having boy trouble" Elena had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Ric was standing next to her until he spoke.

"Of course he did" Elena looked up and smiled at her step-father

"Truth be told you look pretty depressed sitting here all by yourself" Ric took a seat next to her "What is it Lena?"

Elena smiled at the affection in Ric words, sometimes it seemed crazy to her to think that this man who didn't have her blood running through his veins could care about her more than her own father. "Do you think it's possible to have more than one epic love?"

Ric's eyebrows rose as he stared at her "Well I think every love is different and unique in its own way"

"That's what I thought" Elena murmured absently

"I think you shouldn't let the past bother you, darling, we all have one. People aren't a part of your imagination, they don't start living when you meet them" He put an arm around her and forced her to lean into him

"But what if he can never love me the way he loved her?"

"Does he love you now?" He asked.

She thought about him, about all the things he told her and about how she could feel his love when he kissed her, how his hands were soft when he caressed her and the way he smiled when she walked through the door. Yes, he loved her.

"Yes, he does"

"Do you love him?"

"More than life itself"

"Then screw everything else" He told her "If it's not meant to be you'll realize it along the way but don't let the fear of getting hurt stop you from living this love"

"But what if-"

"Elena, sweetheart, you don't want to wake up one day twenty years from now and realize you let your happiness escape you"

"When did everyone become so wise?" She said and they both laughed at her words "I don't visit for one summer and suddenly everyone is super smart? What's next, is Maggie going to give me relationship advice too?"

"Maybe, don't underestimate her"

Elena laughed slightly "Thank you, Ric, you always know how to make me feel better"

"You know I love you right?" He looked down at her "In my eyes you are my daughter, Elena, and I'll always be here for you" She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. She understood pretty well the sentiment now, it was the way she felt about Damon's girls.

"Hey, you two! Come on, we're doing all the work here" Jeremy shouted from the table and Alaric and Elena looked at each other and burst into laughter

"We better go if we want to eat" Ric told her.

They got up and started walking towards Jeremy, Elena intercepted Margaret on the way and took her in her arms while April trailed behind them. She knew Ric and Jeremy were right, Damon made her happy and she needed to find a way to make it better but right now she didn't want to be anywhere but here surrounded by the people she loved the most.

They were her home and here she would learn to be whole again.

* * *

"Are you going to tell her that we really miss her?" Briar's voice resounded from the Bluetooth device in the car and Damon smiled sadly at her words.

"Yes baby girl, I'll make sure she knows how much you miss her" He answered as he veered the car into the direction Caroline's, surprisingly well done, map indicated.

"Tell her won't eat ice cream until she comes back" Violet said and Damon smiled "And that I love her more than Briar does"

"No you don't. I love her more"

"Well she loves me more"

"No she doesn't"

"Yes because she brushes my hair all the time"

"Girls stop…" Damon said with amusement at hearing the girls fighting over Elena's attention.

"She brushes mine too"

"But she didn't paint you a unicorn"

"She would have if I asked her"

"The truth is that Elena loves me more, so that closes the case" Stefan's voice said and Damon couldn't help the chuckle that left his body at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Uncle Stefan that is not true" Violet said between giggles "She loves daddy more"

Damon sucked in a breath and wished for a minute that he had the same innocence of his girls, to be that oblivious about all the wrongs of the world around them.

"How about we settle with the fact that Elena loves all of us the same" Damon said in a calm voice but with a half-smile still playing on his face

"You're no fun" Stefan answered and Damon could totally picture him pouting. Sometimes he wondered who mas more childish, him or his daughters.

Damon took the turn that lead to Elena's parent's house, after driving a few minutes through the woods while listening to Stefan and the girls' rambles through the phone, the house appeared in his sight. It was bigger than he had imagined and looked rather cozy, with a beautiful view to the amazing lake stretching in front.

"I gotta go now, guys, I finally arrived"

"Tell Elena I want her to get better" Briar said in a small voice "That I'm sorry she is sick"

"And tell her snuggles will make her feel kay, he always help me when I get sick" Violet said and Damon smiled while looking at the lone stuffed bear that had travelled as his copilot the whole way.

"I will Violet, I'm sure she'll love it" He said before taking the bear and holding it against his chest

"Now brother, for once please go and get the girl" Stefan told him before disconnecting the call.

Damon stayed in the car for a few minutes, breathing in and out while trying to rehearse what he was going to say, but failing miserably. He had forgotten every word, he knew he should have wrote it all down. He didn't even know if she would agree to speak with him, he hoped she would because he couldn't go another day more without hearing her voice.

With one more deep breath he exited the car and started marching towards the house.

He could hear the sound of laughter with every step he took and his stomach clenched with fear. What if this was a mistake? What if what Elena truly needed was some time away from him and he was denying her of that time, she came here to escape him and to be with her family and he was pushing her too hard.

He shook his head and continued walking, he needed to see her. He needed some reassurance that she still loved him, then he could give her all the time she needed.

He blew some air and knocked on the door, the seconds that it took to be opened were definitely one of the longest of his life. "Can I help you?" A boy around eighteen years with soft brown hair opened the door, he guessed he was Jeremy, Elena's brother.

"Sorry to bother, I'm Damon and I'm here to see Elena"

"Oh, so you're him" Jeremy said narrowing his eyes. Damon frowned, wondering briefly if Elena had told her family the extent of their relationship "Just let me get a couple of things straight, I'll let you come inside and talk to her because she is so damn miserable right now" Damon's throat clogged at his words, the last thing he wanted was for her to be miserable "Now I don't know what the hell happened between you two but if you do something to hurt my sister even more I will hunt you down. It doesn't matter that I'm still pretty much a kid, I work out" He finished and gave him what Damon assumed was a very dangerous glance

"I promise you, I only want to fix things"

"Fine" Jeremy muttered and opened the door wide so Damon could step inside.

The place was painted in soft beige colors and all the furniture was made of wood, there was a lovely smell of food in the air and the wind coming through the windows was chilly. It was a very cozy place and he understood why Elena loved it so much.

"Lena, your 'I only came to visit you because I miss you' is here" Jeremy shouted in the direction of the back glass door, Damon could see the lake extended far away on the other side of the door.

"My what? What are you-"Elena came through the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted him. His hands were inside his pockets and he was balancing his weight from the back of his feet to the front.

"I'll leave you two to it, and I'll make sure mom doesn't come to snoop and Ric doesn't go for his shot gun" Jeremy said with a warning glance in Damon's direction and then exited through the back door, Elena's only response was a soft thank you.

"How did you? - No wait, I know. Caroline" She said with a half-smile on her face. Damon felt hope bloom in his chest, she wasn't kicking him out, that was a good sign. "Why are you here Damon?"

"I wanted to see you, and also" He extended his hand and handed her the teddy bear he brought from home "Violet says that this always makes her feel better"

Elena's pained eyes met his and he could see tears were already gathering there, she extended her hand and took the bear he was holding "Thank you" She clutched it against her chest "I feel so bad, I don't want them to suffer because of this"

"Then come back home" He pleaded

"Damon-"

"We can work it out, Elena, I know we can" He moved closer towards her and even though she raised an arm to stop him he didn't "I need you to forgive me Elena" He cupped her face between his hands "I know I fucked up but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it"

"Damon please" She pleaded as her eyes closed "I forgive you, I know why you did what you did but I still can't-"

"Yes you can" He rested his forehead against her, being here with her, breathing in her scent was everything he could ask for. His memory hadn't paid her justice, she was even more breathtaking up close "I know you think what I had with Katherine will somehow diminish what we have, that you think I can't love you the way I did her"

"What?" Elena asked, her eyes suddenly opening and understanding appearing there when she realized her friend had spilled the beans, he hoped he wasn't getting the blonde in trouble

"But it was never a competition, Elena, I never felt for Katherine what I feel for you" She started shaking her head but he steadied her with his hands on her face "I loved her, yes I did. I was infatuated with her and after she gave me the girls, how could I not love her?"

"Damon I don't want to hear this" She said trying to free herself from his grasp

"But you will. Elena, I loved Katherine because she gave me my daughters. I love you because you are you. Because you have the biggest heart of everyone I know, and because you love to eat ice cream in the middle of the night, and because you cried at the phantom of the opera and you love my children as if they were your own"

"Damon, stop it" Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she kept trying to free herself

"And I love you because you look beautiful in the mornings and laugh at Stefan's silly jokes. I love you because you twitch your nose when you're telling a lie and your eyes sparkle when you see chocolate." Elena was full on sobbing now so he held her as she fisted her hands in his shirt and buried her face in his neck "I love you more than I'll ever love anyone, like I never loved anyone before you and if you give me the chance I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you. And if you decide you don't want to be with me anymore I'll leave and never look for you again… but I'll never be whole again because you have the biggest part of my heart with you. And it will always belong to you"

"I love you" Elena sobbed against his neck "I love you so damn much it scares me Damon, I don't want to feel this way ever again…like the world was crumbling down around me"

"You won't" He moved her so he could stare into her tear streaked face "I can't promise you we'll never fight because I know there's going to be a lot of that but I promise you I can protect you, that I'll always keep your heart safe."

She nodded as he cleaned the tears under her eyes "I love you, Damon, but I don't want to go back" Her words sliced through his heart and the ground shook underneath him

"Elena-"

"No wait, I need some time to think Damon, to be with myself and try to sort things out but I promise you that I'll return"

"You will?"

"I would never do that to the girls" She answered and he didn't miss the fact that she spoke about his daughters but not about him.

Damon nodded and took her into his arms once again, she didn't fight him. She let herself me embraced by him and breathed him in as she rested her head against his shoulder "I'll give you all the time you need, Elena, I'll wait forever. _Perche Io ti amo tesoro mio"_

"Ugh Damon" Elena whined against his shoulder "You know how much I love it when you talk in Italian"

His lips curved into a smirk "I know" He answered before breaking apart from her and placing the softest of kisses on her lips "I'll leave you then" He murmured before starting to walk away.

Elena wanted to tell him to stay or to take her back with him but she kept her lips sealed as she watched him walk through the door. She wasn't lying when she told him she needed time and being here with her family was everything she needed.

* * *

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	18. Underneath your clothes

**Hey there!**

 **Oh God I can't believe we're coming to an end. We just have one more chapter after this one and then it'll be finally over. I really hope you liked the way this story turned out and I want to thank you all for sticking with me until now.**

 **Really hope you like this chapter and as always I couldn't have done this without Lorena.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

You're a song written by the hands of God  
Don't get me wrong cause this might sound to you a bit odd  
But you own the place where all my thoughts go hiding  
And right under your clothes is where I find them  
Underneath your clothes there's an endless story  
There's the man I chose, there's my territory

 **-Shakira-**

 **.**

 **.**

Elena rested her head on the window of the cab as they neared the entrance. To say she was nervous was an understatement, it had been five days, nine hours and twenty minutes since Damon had visited her in her parent's lake house. And if she was being completely honest, she missed him and the girls like crazy.

She had spent the last week enjoying some family time, letting herself be cuddled by her mom and learning self-defense with Ric, and meeting Jeremy's girlfriend and telling her embarrassing stories about her brother. She had played dolls with Margaret and braided her hair when she asked for it. Elena hadn't realized how much she missed her family and how much she needed them until she was back home, that's why it had taken her so long to go back.

But once someone had told her that we always go back to the places where we loved life, and she guessed that was the reason for why the taxi driver was bringing her here.

He parked near the entrance and she exited before paying her fee, she buzzed the intercom and greeted Charlie who looked truly happy to see her back, the gates opened for her and she walked feeling like she had spent years away from this place rather than mere days.

She heard laughter coming from inside and her insides warmed at the sound, how much she had missed those laughs! How much she missed this place! She knocked on the big mahogany door and waited patiently until it opened.

"Blessed the eyes that see you" Stefan whispered in awe before taking her in his arms and twirling her around while she clutched his shoulders with strength

"Put me down you idiot" Elena whined

"Wait, you forgive me right?" Stefan stopped for a second and looked at her "You know because you never answered any of my calls or texts" He put her back down on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I've been a sucky friend"

"No, I was the sucky friend. I'm as sucky as Heidi and Spencer, and I'm so sorry for it" Elena raised an eyebrow and gave him a questioning look "What? The Hills is my guilty pleasure"

Elena laughed and hugged him once again "I've truly missed you Stefan"

"I missed you too, you are my best friend, you hardheaded stubborn woman"

"What's all this fuzz about? What's taking you so long?" Elena heard Damon's voice being carried across the hallway and felt her nerves returning. Stefan smiled knowingly at her and somehow that made her feel better. "Stefan?"

Damon stopped still when he spotted her standing next to his brother, his mouth parted in a surprised gasp and he could do nothing but stare at her, being afraid that his mind was playing tricks on him and she really wasn't here.

"Hi" Elena waved awkwardly and he was two seconds from running towards her when girlish shrieks startled him and stopped his movements.

"Lena, you're back!" The girls yelled in unison and ran towards Elena whose lips broke in a major grin. "You feeling better?" Violet asked before launching herself into Elena's arms, who kneeled down so she was able to catch the little girl

"Yes, I'm better" She answered and Damon was able to catch the double meaning to her words.

"Lena you're going to stay?" Briar asked in a hopeful voice

"I don't know, am I?" Elena said softly while her eyes moved towards him

"'Course you staying" Violet answered fervently "Right daddy?" The little girl turned her blue eyes towards Damon "Is Lena staying?"

"Yes, Miss Elena will be staying with us" He said with a catch in his voice that made Elena's heart soar with happiness "We'll make sure she never gets hurt or sick again"

Briar nodded while she placed a kiss on Elena's cheek "'Course silly" Violet said before placing her tiny arms around Elena's neck "We will take good care of her" Elena smiled as her eyes filled with tears and placed a kiss on the head of each one.

"I've missed you girls so much" She said in a trembling voice "Talking on the phone is not the same"

"No, it's not, we've missed you so much" Briar said softly and Elena's heart broke while looking at the girl. That beautiful special girl who was abandoned by both parents.

"Well, I'm back now" She stroked the girl's hair and smiled at her

"'Fore anything else, I want know" Violet spoke in a very serious voice and Elena smiled, she had forgotten how funny and bubbly Violet was "Who's your favorite?"

"What?" Elena asked while laughing

"It's me, right?" Violet said with a smirk that made her resemble Damon so much.

"No, Lena tell her it's me" Briar interjected

"Girls, girls we already discussed this. I'm Elena's favorite" Stefan said with a smile before ruffling Violet's hair

"No, silly, you're not" The youngest girl said while laughing

"Honestly, I can't decide" Elena said in a serious voice "I just love you all so much" She said while her eyes went to Damon once again. He smirked at her and just like that everything was okay in the world again.

"Girls, can you give me and Miss Elena a moment please?" Damon asked

"You're not going to reprimand her, right daddy?" Briar asked while eying Damon suspiciously

"You going to tell her you love her?" Violet asked and both Elena and Damon looked at the little girl with shocked expressions

"What?"

"You want to marry her, and kiss under a tree" Violet say before bursting into full giggles with Stefan following her lead

"I'm sorry what?" Elena asked

"We already know you two are together" Briar asked in what appeared to be a very adult way "We saw you kissing the other day"

"It was gross" Violet said, still in her fit of giggles

"And kind of cute" Briar said smiling

Damon and Elena looked at each other with shock and mirth in their expressions as the other three people in the room continued laughing at their expenses. "Come on girls, let's give the love birds some time alone"

"LOVE BIRDS!" Violet shouted before laughing again "Like pigeons Uncle Stefan?"

"Yes my darling, just like that" Stefan took the girl in his arms while Briar trailed along beside them, leaving Damon and Elena alone in the foyer.

"Hi" Elena said shyly once Stefan and the girls had disappeared around the corner

"Hi" Damon answered as a hint of a smile appeared on his face. He started walking towards her and Elena felt her palms starting to sweat and a coil in the pit of her stomach forming because of his closeness "I've missed you" He murmured

"Oh Damon" Elena forced the words, struggling with the lump in her throat "I've missed you too" In the blink of an eye she was in his arms, breathing in his scent, he was crushing her in his arms as he murmured sweet nothings against her ear

"You have no idea how much I've needed you" He told her before moving back and staring into her eyes "I've been going crazy without you"

"Me too" She answered honestly with a watery smile

"No more secrets, Elena, I promise you. I'm done keeping them. I would never let anything get between us, I swear" He took her face between his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips, it was sweet, soft and didn't last long enough. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you" He whispered against her lips

"It's okay, I understand now"

"No, it wasn't okay. And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you" Damon closed his eyes and pressed her to him, his chin resting against her forehead. He breathed in her scent while his fingers played with the softness of her hair "I can't stand the thought of you leaving again"

"I'm not going anywhere, Damon" She griped his shirt at the sides and placed a kiss on his neck "I'm here for the long haul, with you and the girls."

Damon opened his eyes and stared into her chocolate ones, how he had missed those eyes during the last few days. Now that she was back here it felt like he could finally breathe again. She was the missing piece that he had needed his entire life. And she was finally back with him, Damon wasn't letting her go, ever.

"I love you" He leaned down and whispered against her lips

"I love you too" She smiled and met him halfway for another kiss. Longing, joy, love, all melted together in that one kiss. He smiled against her mouth, unable to hide his delight at having her back

"You have no idea what I'm going to do to you tonight" He whispered huskily against her ear once they broke apart. Elena shivered under his words, longing for the completeness only his body could provide.

"Can we come in now?" Stefan asked and Damon rolled his eyes at the sound of his brother's words

"Unbelievable"

Stefan ignored his brother's comment and came barreling down the foyer again with the girls right behind them. They launched themselves at Elena once again and started telling her about all the things she had missed, while Stefan looked at his brother with a knowing grin.

"I was thinking a family lunch"

"Huh?" Damon asked

"Yeah, tomorrow. We'll grill burgers by the pool. You know, we have to celebrate"

"Yes, daddy pleaseeeeeee" Violet said and looked at Damon with what he liked to call her 'Shrek cat eyes' and he could do nothing but comply. He honestly would have given in anyway. Elena was back and that was a damn good reason to celebrate.

"You know what, I think this might be the best idea you've ever had Stefan"

"I am a very clever guy"

They all laughed as they continued to enjoy the small moment of happiness life was granting them.

* * *

Elena smiled as Violet rambled about a new doll she wanted Damon to get her, the little girl was perched on her lap and Elena stroked her hair softly as she spoke. Caroline and Briar were across from them on the table Damon and Stefan had set up in the yard, the eldest Salvatore girl had on a pair of white sunglasses Caroline had given her and was chatting happily with her teacher, while the men were standing a few feet away grilling the burgers.

Damon had followed Stefan's plan and had organized a little get together, just the six of them since Matt had traveled outside the city and hadn't been able to make it and Bonnie and Enzo claimed to be busy but they all knew they were getting at it. Violet heard something that caught her attention in the conversation across the table and moved forward so she could hear better and participate. Elena smiled at the back of her head and moved her eyes up where they instantly collided with a pair of blue ones.

He smirked at her while completely ignoring what Stefan was telling him and Elena couldn't help the smile that spread across her face and the heat warming her face from the way he was looking at her. She was so grateful that she chose to follow her heart and come back here, if she had lost this because of the fear of being hurt again she would have never forgiven herself.

He winked at her and resumed his task with the burgers as she looked across the table again to find Caroline giving her a knowing look, Elena blushed and joined the conversation the blonde girl was having with the girls.

"Chef Stefan Salvatore, I like the sound of that" Stefan said with a triumphant grin a few minutes afterwards as he placed the food on the center of the table.

"I wouldn't count on that, brother" Damon rolled his eyes as he sat next to Elena "There's not much science to grilling burgers"

"I beg to differ" Caroline said which earned her a wide grin from Stefan "I once managed to burn all the meat"

"True story" Elena said while Violet giggled and dropped out of her lap, running to the other side of the table to sit next to Briar.

Elena's heart melted and other parts of herself heated up while watching the way Damon was around his daughters. The way he leaned across the table to set Briar's burger right and how he removed the pickles from Violet's when he saw her scrunching her nose. Even Caroline was looking at him with gooey eyes as he played the perfect father.

"I have an announcement to make" Stefan said after a while

"This ought to be good" Damon muttered under his breath, which earned him a jab in the ribs from Elena

"Valerie and I have decided to take another chance at our relationship" He said while looking around the table, appearing very nervous

"Who's Valerie?" Violet asked first

"Seriously?" Damon said "I didn't even know you were seeing each other again"

"Is she pretty Uncle Stefan?" Briar asked

"Very pretty" Stefan answered with a dreamy sigh and Elena prayed to all the gods out there that the woman was clever enough to treat him right.

"Well I guess congratulations are in order" Damon said with a small smile

"You marry her and have babies like daddy and Lena?" Violet asked in a sweet voice

"Whoa whoa, let's just go one step at a time" Elena said, raising her head with panic on her face

"But I want a little brother" Violet said with a grin, Elena looked at Damon for help but he only shrugged.

"Well I have an announcement too, not that you care about my life but I'm moving in with Klaus" The blonde said with a wide grin

"What?!" Elena shouted and nearly stood up from her chair "You've been seeing him for- "Caroline gave her a pointed stare and Elena decided to keep whatever she was going to say to herself "Well, if you're sure, then I'm very happy for you"

"Is he the tall, blonde guy who talks funny like Enzo?"

"Yes"

"He is very pretty" Briar said with a dreamy sigh as Elena and Caroline giggled

"Oh dear lord don't" Damon muttered

Elena leaned into him and whispered "Yeap, your girl is growing"

"No, she'll stay a baby forever" He pouted "Both of them" His eyes moved across the table at the girls who were now grilling Stefan and Caroline with questions "I'll just freeze time right at this moment"

"Not even you can do that" Elena said as she moved closer and rested her head against his shoulder. Damon placed a kiss on top of her head and circled an arm around her

"Love you" He whispered

"Love you too" She answered

The afternoon kept flowing as the food became less and the heat started to grow. They all went into the pool and as they joked and splashed around, Damon looked around at the people with him and realized that for the first time in his life he was truly happy. He had found the missing piece in his puzzle, who would have thought that the last nanny marrying off was the best thing that ever happened to him?

He drew Elena closer to him and pressed a kiss onto her damp forehead "Thank you for needing a job" He said as a big grin spread against her lips.

This was what he had wanted his entire life and finally had it.

 _ **Because of you I forgot the smart ways to lie  
Because of you I'm running out of reasons to cry.  
When the friends are gone, when the party's over  
We will still belong to each other**_


	19. And this is how I met your mother

**Hello!**

 **First of all, I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update this, specially since Lorena edited this days ago and it's been sitting on my computer ever since but seriously life has been crazy and I've been super bussy, which is why I haven't updated my other story either but here I am now and in honor of tonight's episode (It's the beginning of the end and i'm terrible sad because of it) I bring you the end of You instead.**

 **It's been a wonderful ride, I remember that at the beginning I was more than a bit hesitant to start writting this but I'm so glad I listened to my inner muse and decided to give it a shot, it's been a pleasure to deliver chapter after chapter to you and to read how much you enjoy it, thank you guys so much for all youor support and love and for every coment and alert on this story. I really really hope you love the ending.**

 **And as always, thanks so much to Lorena because I honestly wouldn't be able to post this without her.**

 **Here, we go.**

* * *

" _It was a long road. You might even say it was really really really really long. But difficult? Nah. It was life. Stuff happens in life. Things fall apart, things get put back together. When I think how lucky I am to wake up next to your mom every morning, I can't help but be amazed at how easy it all really was."_

 _ **How I met your mother**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

Elena smiled as that now familiar feeling invaded her body again at the sight of her artwork on display. In the last three years she had worked nonstop with Elijah and with every new exposition her work became more and more popular. Elena Gilbert was finally earning a spot among the artistic community.

"It's amazing isn't it, to see what your work can accomplish" A deep voice murmured next to her and she turned her head to stare into the eyes of one of the people who had made this night possible.

"I could never thank you enough for this Elijah" She smiled warmly at him

"Me? I'm the one who should be thankful, Elena" He said softly "You are truly talented and it's been my pleasure to guide you through all of this, I am very proud of you" He placed an arm around her shoulder and hugged her against his body

"Now you're gonna make me cry" She whined as her eyes misted with tears

"Well it's your night, you can cry if you want to" He said with a half laugh "Though I wouldn't want that"

Elena started laughing as well as he released her "I'm so glad you're my friend Elijah"

"I'm glad as well" He told her with a half-smile. They stayed in silence for a few seconds, staring at the people around them who drank in and admired the work on the walls. Elena watched as his eyes moved to the beautiful woman chatting with his brother -near the entrance- and she couldn't help but smile at the love in his glance.

"So, you'll finally get the courage to do it this weekend?"

"I think so, what can be more romantic than a trip to Paris?" He answered while his eyes were still fixated on the woman "You think she'll say yes?"

"Please Elijah, one would have to be blind not to notice how smitten Hayley is with you" Elena said with a smirk and just as she spoke the woman they were talking about looked at them and her lips turned up in a smile, her eyes sparkling while staring at Elijah.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go check on my soon to be fiancée" He said before pressing a soft kiss onto her cheek "I'm really proud of you, Elena"

"Thank you, Elijah" Elena nodded and watched him go with a smile. She was so glad that what happened, or rather what didn't, with them three years ago hadn't ruined their friendship. Elijah was a good man and she was glad to have him in her life.

"I saw that" A deep growling sound whispered from her back and she shivered at the sound "I still don't like him" His arms circled her and rested on her belly as he leaned down and pressed a kiss onto her neck

"Oh please, I was sure you had gotten over it"

"He wanted you to be his, I'm never getting over it" He whispered in her ear but she could feel his smile next to her face "Though I do admit that he's almost decent"

"Almost?"

"Yeap, I still don't want him around you that much"

"You're impossible" Elena rolled her eyes before he spun her around and made her face him

"Are you ready to go home?" He said before dropping his face and nuzzling his cheek with hers. Her body trembled with the promise those touches were giving her

"Surprisingly, yes" Elena had enjoyed the night to no end, she had laughed and drank and had fun with her friends but now as the hours had passed and almost all of her friends were gone she wanted nothing more than to go home with her family and curl herself next to the beautiful man standing in front of her. "Take me home, tesoro mio" She said, trying to imitate his Italian accent but failing miserably

"You still need to work on that" He teased her

"Oh shut up" She punched him lightly on his chest

"Ti amo" He winked as he took her hand and started heading towards the door so she could start saying goodbye.

It took her another good half hour to say goodbye to everyone who had come but now they were finally heading home as the night continued shinning above them. Damon was driving and the lights on the dashboard casted a shadow on his face, Elena stared at his square jaw and focused eyes and couldn't help but feel lucky to have a man like him next to her. And it wasn't just the physical aspect, although no one could argue Damon was one hell of a specimen, it was the other things. His thoughtfulness, his careful nature, the love for his children and his brother, the bonding friendship with her step-father. Damon was everything she had ever dreamed of and he was hers.

"You know I'll have to start charging you if you're gonna keep staring at me all the time" He joked as they neared the entrance to their house.

"Oh stop it"

"Seriously it's creeping me out"

"You know you love it" She said and he laughed, his sound resonating in the car as he parked.

They climbed out of the car and walked towards the house hand in hand. Sometimes it still seemed surreal to Elena, that she could be the queen of this castle; she had come here asking for a job and had ended up snugging the King instead.

They headed upstairs and peeked inside the girl's room, they were both sleeping soundly, their tiny bodies cuddled up under the blankets and Elena felt a warm sensation invading her body as she watched the rises and fall of their chest, they were beautiful and they also were hers. Sometimes she couldn't believe how fast they were growing, soon they wouldn't be needing her anymore.

Damon placed a kiss on her temple "Let's go" She stepped back and he closed the door as quietly as he could. They walked to the other side of the house, where their bedroom was and stopped on the door next to it. He opened it and she entered first, heading straight to the crib where their one year old Damien was resting.

She peaked inside and her mouth split in the widest grin when she saw the little boy was awake and staring straight at her "Were you waiting for us my boy?" She cooed as she leaned down and took him in her arms

The baby smiled and extended his hand to play with his mother's face before his eyes moved to the man standing behind her and extended his little arms towards him "Maybe he was just waiting for me" Damon said smugly as he took the baby out of Elena's arms

"Yeah right" She muttered while rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's humble nature.

"That's right, isn't it? you were waiting for me, my boy" Damon cooed as the baby laughed and played with his tie. Damon pressed a kiss onto his little head and moved his eyes towards Elena

"Thank you" He told her, his throat clogging with emotion

"For what?" She asked in a whisper

"For him, for everything" His eyes shinned with sincerity as the light of the moon peaked thought the blinds. "You changed my life when you walked thought that door"

"And you thought I was only good at telling stories" She joked as she moved closer to him and snuggled into the crook of his arm, he embraced her and kissed her head before turning his attention back to his son.

Life was definitely good.

* * *

"I can't believe this is actually happening" Elena said while clapping her hands and practically jumping in her seat as the plane started to descend. Damon chuckled and intently watched a fascinated Elena.

After three years together he was finally taking her to Italy. His father's birthday was nearing and the old man refused to fly to the states, instead he had demanded that they go and visit him so Stefan, Valerie, the girls, Damien and them were now on their way to his country. Stefan had volunteered to play baby sitter during the flight so Damon had spent the entire time hearing Elena ramble about all the things she wanted to see.

They were landing in Rome and were going to stay there for two days before heading to Venice and Florence. Then, because he could never deny anything to her, they were going to visit the cathedral of Saint Francis in Assisi and to Pompeii, because she had loved the movie with Kit Harrington, Damon thought while rolling his eyes.

Afterwards they would head on to Tuscany where his father had bought a new cottage. There, it was happening, or at least he hoped it was.

"Oh my God, Damon, I never thought this was going to actually happen" Elena leaned down to whisper in his ear while the biggest of grins threatened to split her face in two "Thank you so much"

"I know you'll find a way to pay me back" He said with a wink and a suggestive smirk. Elena bit her lip and placed her hand on his thigh

"I know I will" She promised seductively

"Alright, bad idea" Damon said before adjusting his pants.

They spent a couple of marvelous days filled with laughter and walks and gelatos. Italy was turning out to be everything Elena dreamed of and even if at the beginning she felt a bit worried about travelling with a one year old baby she didn't feel like that now. Stefan, Valerie and the girls took such good care of him, they barely let Elena and Damon do anything at all.

When Damien was born Elena was worried the girls were going to resent the change but they both threw themselves so deep in their role of big sister that it amazed Elena; they treated him with so much care and love that it warmed her heart. They had also insisted on starting to call Elena, mom or momma; they had stumped their feet down once they found out Elena was pregnant, they felt that if the new baby was going to be able to call her mom someday so should they.

Elena rested her head against his chest as his arms tightened around her middle, they were sitting on the balcony of their hotel in Assisi, Elena was draped on top of him and their feet were resting on the table. The sun was starting to set and she swore she had never felt more happiness in her life.

"You think they are okay?"

"Elena, I think they can manage young children perfectly"

"But still, three?"

"They'll be fine, amore" He dropped a kiss on to her bare shoulder where the strap of her dress had fallen down.

Stefan and Valerie had once again decided to play nanny and had headed to Tuscany with the girls before Elena and Damon, leaving them to head to Pompeii and Assisi alone. Elena hadn't wanted at first but Damon had convinced her and even though she knew Stefan and Valerie could take care of the kids, it still filled her with fright to have them so far away from her in a foreign country.

"Stop worrying" He whispered and reached for his glass of wine, offering it to her "We'll be there tomorrow"

"I know" She accepted the glass and took a sip, letting the cool liquid refresh her throat as she nestled deeper into Damon's body

"I love you" He told her as the sun was setting and the warm air caressed their bodies "You brought the sun into my life, Elena, you are the sun in my life"

She smiled and turned her head to stare at him, she dropped her forehead onto his and breathed in his scent "I love you more" She touched her nose to his and dropped the sweetest kiss onto his lips.

They made love for hours that night, with the windows open letting the air filter thought their room. They cherished each other with such tenderness that it almost made her want to weep. She gave herself completely to him and accepted all he was giving her.

They became one again that night.

* * *

Elena and Damon arrived to his father's cottage the next day almost at night and among laughter, and hugs, wine and food they spent one of the most memorable nights in Elena's life. She loved Damon's dad dearly and always felt happy to see him playing around with his grandchildren.

"Why are we going to a resort when your father has this beautiful cottage?" Elena asked and watched with a frown as Damon looked at Stefan in the car mirror

"Uhmm because dad is a weird man and he likes posh things, so he wanted to spoil you girls with spas and stuff like that" Stefan rambled and Elena turned around to look at him with a frown, he shrugged and Damien fuzzed on her lap so she directed her attention back to her son. The girls were driving with their grandfather so they would meet again at the resort.

.

"Mommy can we have Damien go with us to see Valerie" Violet asked with big wide eyes and a grin as Elena finished dressing the baby in the hotel's room.

"Where to?" She asked softly as she eyed Violet suspiciously, she knew that girl like the back of her hand and knew something was hidden behind that smile

"To show him around" The girl answered innocently

"We won't take long" Briar chirped while entering the room

"Yes mommy please let us go" Stefan whined while entering the room

"Aren't you tired of being around children all the time?" She told him

"Nope, I love children" He said while scooping up Damien as Briar and Violet got his bag ready and Elena watched them with surprise and more than a bit of doubt.

"We could all stay here and watch some movies" She offered

"Nope, we want to take Damien to see outside" Briar answered and the baby babbled as if agreeing with his sister

"You know I hate surprises right?"

"Everyone loves surprises mommy" Violet said before running to Elena and forcing her to kneel down so she could kiss her cheek, Elena stroked her hair and couldn't help but grin when the girl shot her a look that said she was hiding something, these girls were up to something and she wanted to know what.

It took Elena half an hour after they left to realize they locked her inside and she was five seconds from starting to panic when Damon walked in looking freshly showered and with a big gold box in his hands.

"What the hell is happening?" She exclaimed

He smirked and placed the box on the bed "What's that?" Elena asked, eyeing the thing suspiciously

"Come and see" He answered.

Elena moved closer and hesitantly removed the top of the box, she let out a gasp when she peaked inside and saw what was waiting for her "Damon… what is this?"

"Pull it out" She stared at him with her mouth open and her eyes misted with tears "Come on pull it out, I don't actually believe in that bad luck thing, I only believe in us"

She smiled slightly as she took the fabric and extended it out of the box. The dress was made of the softest chiffon, it was of a trumpet silhouette and a queen ann neckline adorned with Chantilly lace, the skirt flowed beautifully and it was the most beautiful thing Elena had ever seen.

"I had it made" Damon answered and she turned to look at him with her eyes completely filled with tears

"How could you know?"

"Caroline told me, about your scrapbook" Elena laughed as she deposited the dress on the bed and threw herself at his arms. She and Caroline had made that thing when they were little girls, they had planned their weddings and Elena had painted a dress exactly like the one that was resting on the bed right now. It was her dream dress!

"I love you, I love you so much Damon" She said while raining his face with kisses. She would never thank God enough for putting this man in her way, he was everything she ever dreamed of when she was a little girl.

"Does that mean that you agree? I mean I didn't want to assume but after three years and a child…" He asked as he pulled out a blue box out of his back pocket and opened it to show her the most beautiful ring, princess cut and with a diamond of a color so blue that made her think of his eyes instantly. "Will you be my wife, Elena?"

"Of course I will, Damon"

They hugged and kissed and she cried and he spun her around the room until the door was barged open and the girls ran inside wearing soft yellow dresses and throwing themselves at the couple, Margaret was among them, and so was Caroline and her mom and her heart squeezed at thinking all the trouble Damon took to make this day perfect for her.

Alaric walked her down the aisle towards the man she loved the most. A perfect Tuscan afternoon, her closest family and friends gathered to see them bind their lives together.

They said "I do" in the charming gardens of the resort, filled with elegance and beauty. The ceremony was held among greenery and white hydrangeas and after they gathered around a big imperial table decorated in a vintage way, Elena was sure Caroline had been behind all of this, love shinned in the place as they all laughed and shared stories. Everyone she loved was there: Matt, Caroline and Klaus, Jeremy, Bonnie and Enzo and even Elijah and Hayley, they were all there to celebrate the love she and Damon shared.

As they danced to the soft strings of a guitar, the night already upon them Elena relished at the turn her life made when she met Damon, she lay her head on his chest and fixated her eyes where Alaric and Jeremy were dancing with the little girls and beyond them her mother was cuddling Damien.

"Thank you for a perfect day, Damon" She whispered as he tightened his arms around her

"No, thank you for the opportunity at a perfect life, Elena" She looked up at him and got lost in his intense blue gaze "Ti amo tesoro mio"

She smiled at him "Ti amo" She answered before dropping her head to his chest once again.

And it was like that that under the Tuscany sky and the eyes of their loved ones Elena and Damon finally said I do.

And they lived happily ever after.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **So? What did you guys think?**


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